


Shadowed meanings

by Team_Alpha_Wolf_Squadron



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-03 03:18:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2836112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Team_Alpha_Wolf_Squadron/pseuds/Team_Alpha_Wolf_Squadron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU There's a killer who has been murdering parents for the past five years. Clark is no closer to catching him but he manages to create the same crime again and again. When a sudden break in the case leads him to the abandoned Gotham Clark finds not only a lead but that the killer has decided to start making things more personal with him.<br/>Horrible Summary but there will be Superbat and I like to think that this is what one of the multiverse worlds is like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Clark hated days like this. A child most probably a boy was lying in an alley somewhere crying because his parents were shot in front of him. It was always a boy, Clark thought flying closer to the scene, with black hair and blue eyes who was no older than ten. The parents were always heterosexual as well so it wasn't a hate crime.   
   
   
He came to a stop an observed the predictable scene before him. Two dead, a shot to the head for the male and one to the chest for the female. The boy would have seen nothing more than a black shape moving quickly and two shots ringing out. He heard him relay this information to the policeman before moving on. There was nothing that Clark could do, he was too late, he was always too late.   
   
   
There was a mugging that he managed to prevent on his way back to the planet and a robbery that he stopped before anyone could get hurt. But still, as he sat in his chair looking at his screen tying what had happened he couldn't help feeling that same pit of hopelessness.   
   
   
Not once had he been able to stop this psycho from killing and he doubted he ever would. There would be no evidence to point them in the direction of the actual killer. Instead the DNA would lead them on a wild chase before blaming some corrupt politician or rapist. There was always some good that came out of it, well used to come out of it. Now he and the rest of Metropolis knew that this wasn't high profile mob bosses or anyone else the DNA lead to they had stopped running the prints.    
   
   
He wondered who was next on his list. The only thing he knew was that he was thorough. He tracked and stalked his prey until he knew everything about them before he made the kill. Clark knew because he could always smell traces him left in the air when he went to the victims houses. How did Clark know it was a he? The natural scent that was left behind was purposeful. He enjoyed the chase and hunt Clark gave and indulged him the second year of his merciless killing with a little personalization.   
   
   
But again that was a dead end. One week he had spent over the world smelling everything that he could to find this man. But all there was were stories that lead to no where and people who never fit it quite right. The man knew enough to keep his real scent hidden during his stalking hours.   
   
   
“Everything alright Smallville?” Lois asked sauntering over.   
   
   
“Another boy,” He muttered showing her the article he was writing. He always insisted on running this particular article.   
   
   
“God,” She sighed mournfully “When are they gonna catch this guy?”   
   
   
“I don't think they will,” Clark whispered before going back to his typing. Lois knew by now not to bother him when he was writing this kind of story.   
   
   
It was sent to print ten minutes later. “Kent!” He heard and heeded Perry's call.   
   
   
“Yes chief?”   
   
   
“I need you to go to Gotham,” He said to Clark. It seemed that everyone had heard though since all sound ceased. Gotham wasn't a place regularly spoken in conversation.   
   
   
“Why?” He asked nervously.   
   
   
“One of the guards has a lead on the parent killer. I thought it might be a good follow up after today's article, make the public think it's safe and all that,” he waved off and Clark obeyed knowing when he was dismissed.   
   
   
“Gotham,” Lois said disbelievingly “Nice knowing you Smallville.”   
   
   
It was a damp place that had been abandoned after the earthquake. Everyone who wasn't a former patient at Arkham or a criminal from Blackgate were evacuated to leave the psycho's to die out. But they didn't. The abandoned buildings and opened underground trades they opened up meant that they could build a city so corrupt that no one mentioned it anymore. Not because they were unnerved by what went on. Just the opposite, they didn't know what went on which made them scared. Every dark desire someone had was thrown into Gotham. Every criminal who had committed enough crimes thrown in. Eventually people had started asking for the chair instead of being thrown in.   
   
   
To be sent there on a lead that someone might know who was killing parents was a long shot. One that Clark was more than willing to try. He was out of options as it was. Thankfully the guards lived on the bridges that separated Gotham and Metropolis. They kept people from going in and alerted the authorities if someone got out.   
   
   
He hurried home to change and grab his notepad before reading the information Perry had given him. The guard's name was Gordon, a former cop and head of the main guard to the city. He was easy to find. Much like Perry he had a charisma that just let you know when you had found him.   
   
   
“Gordon?” He asked the man and held his hand out “My name is Clark Kent from the Daily Planet. I heard you had some intel on who's killing the parents.”   
   
   
He had a firm grip despite his age. His face was careworn and lined too much for anyone to have. This job must be taking his life from him.   
   
   
“I do. It's only a theory but I thought you'd like to hear it,” he warned before motioning him inside his office. Clark spared a glance to the devastated buildings that lay not far from it.   
   
   
“I'd like to hear anything you can tell me. Everything helps,” He reassured.   
   
   
“Well then,” He motioned to a seat which Clark took, taking his pad out in the process “This is a story that may seem a little far fetched. That's why I came to you instead of the police. There was this case I worked on years ago when I was a young man much like yourself,” He flattered “It was high profile, the Wayne murder.”   
   
   
“I've heard of it. You're saying that the Wayne killer might be the one doing this again?” He asked.   
   
   
“No. See I might not be a cop anymore since I gave up my job to guard this god forsaken city but I have looked at some of the case files and I always read your articles when they crop up. The similarities between the Wayne murder and these ones are uncanny. Always two parents who walk in a dim alley and are shot. One to the head and the other to the chest every time. It was the same that happened to them. Then there's the child. Always a boy with black hair and blue eyes. That was what little Bruce looked like the night it happened.”   
   
   
“So you think that someone is staging it to look like the Wayne murder. Maybe someone who was there or someone with an obsession. I've heard there's been cases where murders were re-created but to do it so many times...” Clark trailed thinking about this new connection.   
   
   
“Exactly,” Gordon agreed.   
“The boy who was there, Bruce. Do you know where he is? If I can get an interview with him?” Clark asked eagerly.   
   
   
Gordon shook his head “He became a recluse after that night. No one but the butler was allowed near him. Then after the earthquake there was nothing left. It's like he's completely gone,” he spoke but his voice held something in it. Doubt.    
   
   
“Something like that would be scarring on a child,” Clark tactfully spoke.   
   
   
“Indeed,” Gordon agreed “I'm afraid that's all I have for you though. Thank you for taking your time to come see me. I hope that you might indulge me and tell when you have any news.”   
   
   
Clark nodded and shook his hand again before breathing in the smell of decay that Gotham drifted over. He felt heavy with so much information. To think that this morning a little boy had just lost his parents to a nameless killer and now Clark had a lead that he could follow up.   
   
   
It was nearing dinner time and he knew he had no plans to follow up. A quick listen to the world and there was nothing there that couldn't be handled by the police so Clark sped over to an empty phone booth and changed into his Superman uniform.    
   
   
Gordon had said that Bruce hadn't been seen since the earthquake meaning that until that time he had lived in his home in Gotham. Everyone knew about the Wayne's and how they lived in a manor somewhere on the outskirts. His mother had often remarked when he was a child how much it would be nice to be invited to one of their parties. That was before the murder though. Now he was planning on excavating an abandoned manor for any way of reaching Bruce.   
   
   
He was reluctant at first to cast his gaze on the wreckage that was Gotham city but knew eventually he had to if he wanted to find the manor. Factory smoke drifted from half built chimneys and Clark could see where repairs had been made. He guessed this was where the rich criminals lived. There was no one on the streets which Clark was thankful for. Rumors of deformed beings had circled the world. All of them inhabiting Gotham at this present moment and Clark wasn't sure he wanted to meet one.    
   
   
He was on the lookout for some criminals though. The league had heard and pleaded for cases where their rogues were being transferred to this city. They were deemed to unstable for regular prisons and despite the pull the heroes had there was nothing they could do. Villains such as Captain Cold, Clock King, Vertigo, even Bizarro lived here now. How they had got Bizarro to stay in Gotham was still a mystery to Clark.   
   
   
Pretty soon Clark saw the remains of manors and followed the path of destruction until he came to a wide expanse of land where one sole inhabitant lived. It was majestic in its Georgian beauty and looked untouched from the devastation that had rocked the rest of Gotham.    
   
   
He listened and was surprised to hear someone moving around inside. Perhaps Bruce never left Gotham. He touched down to the overgrown grass that grew up the sides of the house before making his feet move towards the door, keeping an ear at all times on those footsteps that seemed to mirror his path. He would have thought that they were watching him if not for the lack of shadows or silhouettes at the windows.   
   
   
He knocked briskly and then again louder. The heartbeat stuttered and Clark knew he'd been heard. No footsteps sounded for a minute so Clark knocked again.   
“I'm not here to hurt you!” He called up “My names is Kal El but everyone calls me Superman. Perhaps you've heard of me?” the heartbeat stuttered again and then the footsteps resumed.   
   
   
They tapped down stairs and padded towards the door where Clark waited politely outside. He heard the man, it was a man he as could tell by the breathing, look to see whether Clark was telling the truth about his identity before the door opened. It was barely a crack.   
   
   
“What do you want?” A silky voice asked. Clark was embarrassed to say that he didn't answer for two minutes. He was busy replaying that low baritone in his mind and trying to figure out between the musical depths what it was communicating. “What do you want?” It asked again and Clark snapped back.   
   
   
“To talk. Are you Bruce?” He tried to peer inside but the door followed his line of sight. He was tempted to use his x-ray vision to put a face to that voice.   
   
   
“No.”   
   
   
“Are you sure? I'm not here to hurt him if that's what you're afraid of,” He soothed knowing that this was probably Bruce. The only other person it could be was the butler who Clark was sure wasn't on the other side of that door.   
   
   
“What do you want?” It asked a third time.   
   
   
“I'm here about some murder cases. I just want to talk to you, it might save some lives,” The door opened a bit so Clark went on “They're similar to the one you witnessed as a child. I was hoping to ask you about what happened that's all. No ulterior motives I promise,” He smiled knowing that he was being watched. He tried to make himself as friendly as possible.   
   
   
The footsteps moved away but the door didn't close so Clark pushed it open a little. When he received no reprimand he stepped inside and followed the fading footsteps into the house. They came to a stop in a parlor room, lavishly decorated and again untouched from the horrors outside.   
   
   
The man was roughly Clark's age, well his back was. When he turned Clark could conclude that he was right. He was his age. And very handsome.   
   
   
“So what kind of questions?” Bruce asked sitting down and shakily motioning to one across from him. Gordon was right in him being a recluse. He seemed nervous at the sight of Clark, but that could also be because he was in his Superman costume.   
   
   
“Er,” he trailed losing his train of thought to those pale blue eyes. He had to mentally shake himself before getting back on topic “Right. The night that your parents were murdered,” Bruce flinched and Clark made a mental note to be more subtle next time “Do you know who did it?”   
   
   
“No,” He answered with his voice shaking.   
   
   
“I'm sorry. I know this must be hard but if there was any other way then I wouldn't be here. To be honest you're the only lead I have,” Clark confessed. Bruce nodded. “Can you tell me if you remember what the man looked like. It was a man right?” Another nod.    
   
   
“He had a mask on but for a moment he didn't. I think he was in his mid thirties maybe older, brown eyes but Caucasian and I don't really know how tall or what his hair looked like,” he rushed and Clark put his hand on Bruce's knee to reassure him. It didn't work if the strained look he gave Clark was any indication.   
   
   
“Anything else?” Bruce shook his head.   
   
   
“I'm sorry. If there was anything else-” He started shaking. Clark almost went in for a hug but remembered what a hand on the knee got him.   
   
   
“I understand. Listen, thank you for what you've told me. I may have some other questions for you but those can wait until later,” He stood and offered his hand to Bruce. He didn't shake it and instead lead him back to the door.   
   
   
Clark almost slapped himself when he realized he was admiring Bruce's rear. He shouldn't be ogling a man that was obviously troubled. So he looked away and tried to focus on something else. The answer came in a stuffed elephant that was lying on the floor next to the staircase. Clark went over and picked it up.   
   
   
“Do you have children?” He asked noticing how worn it was but also how recent it would have been made. Definitely after Bruce had hit puberty.   
   
   
“No,” He sighed snatching the elephant out of Clark's hands.   
   
   
“Oh, well, thank you again.”   
   
   
He left the manor with a last glance at Bruce clutching the stuffed elephant to his chest before he took off back to his apartment. Things seemed dull after Clark left Gotham and his thoughts kept drifting back to Bruce's dark hair that looked so silky as it dropped accidentally on his pale face. It got to a point in the night where he abandoned any morals he had concerning how fragile Bruce was and focused on how handsome he was instead. He figured that he would start repenting tomorrow when he had thoroughly got Bruce out of his system. After the fifth time he came he collapsed back onto his bed giving into the exhaustion that had plagued him for the day.  

 

When he woke up two more sessions thinking about Bruce and blaming it on the fact that he hadn't technically started his day yet proceeded. He was so glad that Perry wasn't expecting him until eleven since he made sure to draw it out to last until nine. After that he washed and made himself breakfast from the sparse things in his kitchen making a note to put on his fridge to get more milk. 

He was in the midst of putting the sticky on the fridge when an unfamiliar one caught his eye. He didn't remember writing it and the contents told him why. 'Naughty,' it read 'I definitely wasn't expecting the show when I came over.' The handwriting was long and elegant and Clark was almost afraid to sniff the air. When he did he caught that scent that had been ingrained into his memory for five years.

It was everywhere. He had been here, in his apartment and he hadn't seen him. He hadn't heard or smelt him because he was busy tossing off to thoughts of Bruce! That murderer had invaded his private area, he knew who Clark was and what was worse was the thought that he could have ended everything last night. If only he had been more attentive.

He arrived to work angry. Lois could tell and avoided him until lunch. She pushed some things on his desk aside and made it look like she was reading over the article that he had written up about Gordon's interview.

“So what's wrong?” She asked casually.

“Nothing,” He sighed. He felt defeated “The man from yesterday said he might have a lead.”

“Yeah, Bruce Wayne,” She agreed pointing at where he had put that in his article.

“But I don't think he'll be very much help even if I did manage to persuade Perry to get me into Gotham,” Clark sighed thinking back on the fragility of the man. He felt even worse than he thought he would yesterday.

“Why not? Just use you're mad journalist skills and he'll spill everything. And if that fails just bat your pretty eyes,” She joked shoving him good naturedly. He felt a bit better joking with Lois like this.

“I don't think he's into men,” Clark observed. “So I doubt my pretty eyes will work.”

“Why not? If he's a recluse he'll probably do anything that looks human.”

Clark laughed and shoved Lois out of her seat with promises of coffee and doughnuts. He printed his article and took it to Perry wondering if he could actually get him to agree to send him to Gotham. It would be pointless following up on Bruce's interview but the people in Gotham itself were as corrupt as it came. Surely one of them might have heard about this killer. 

He pleaded his case and was met with a resounding 'no' which was to be expected. After all where would he stay? There would be no one around to help him if he got into trouble. Does he not understand what kind of people live there! 

All of this Clark was prepared for and he answered dutifully. He knew that if he went under the guise of Superman he could maybe get Bruce to let him stay while he investigated Gotham and told Perry that he had organised an interview with the reclusive Bruce Wayne. It made Perry pause, no one had heard from the Wayne heir in years and suddenly Clark had an interview? Clark said that he managed to get in touch with him but that he lived in Gotham meaning that to get the interview he would have to go in there.

By four he was packing again and changing into his Superman costume before flying over to Wayne manor. The man was reluctant again to open the door to Clark and he had to persuade him for five minutes before he was shown to the parlor room again.

“I was wondering if you would let me stay here a while,” He propositioned and watched Bruce's already pale face turn a sickening white “A week tops. I need to scour Gotham but I'm going to need a base. I wouldn't trust leaving my things anywhere other than here. Please,” he begged.

“I don't know,” Bruce hesitated.  
“You won't even see me. I'll be out probably all day and half the night and you can put me in a bedroom far away from yours,” he saw resignation fill Bruce's gaze and felt bad that he was the one to put it there. “Thank you.”

Bruce showed him to a bedroom in the east wing and left. Clark tracked those soft pads as they walked away towards the west of the manor. Clark unpacked his things quickly and breathed in the air of safety again. He was happy he was here for more than one reason. If he was honest, he was almost scared to go back to his apartment. It seemed that everything had became unfamiliar. His bed and walls that had housed him since he had came to Metropolis were cold and uninviting. They stank of that murderer.

He changed quickly before leaving by the window and making sure it was left ajar for his return. A pair of civvies that obscured his identity made walking down the streets of Gotham seem less unnerving. That was until he heard a monstrous roar.

It sounded below his feet and Clark stood still to try and pin point where it was. The water was sloshing to much and the heartbeat not recognisable to his ears. The ones below were too fast to be human. The roar sounded again. Clark took two breaths before moving hesitantly along the road again. 

He passed no one after two hours of walking. It seemed that everyone preferred indoors which was rather peculiar since all the villains he knew didn't care what time of day they came out. It started to get dark when he got his first lead. It wasn't a person but a smell. That same one that had haunted his apartment this morning.

He took off faster than light to track that smell to its source. Past dim alleys where the lights started flickering on then off again. He dodged ice that had formed from the ice villains and barbed wire that had been left out to trip people up.

Finally he could see someone in the distance. Tall and unmoving, he was crouched on a building with a mask adorning his features. Clark didn't care and barrelled into him. Pinning him to the ground where a waft of that smell came up.

“Finally!” He whooped triumphantly before another scent caught his nose. Stronger and smelling of cotton candy. He turned the man over and the smell didn't change but overpowered the other one. “What?” Clark moaned dropping the man before hauling him back up. “Who are you!” He questioned.

“Oh my God you're Superman!” The man squealed “I am such a huge fan!” Clark sniffed ignoring the comment from him until he found that the parent murderer's scent was coming from a bead wrapped around the man's neck. He pulled it off and held it under his nose before smelling the man again. The smell was gone. He had lead Clark on a fools errand after him. “Can I have your autograph?” 

“What? No, now tell me who you are and where you got this?” he held the bead up before coming back to himself “Wait, how did you know I'm Superman?” 

“Your curls showing,” the man replied bashfully and pointed at Clark's forehead where sure enough the curl was hanging along on his head. “I'm Dick Grayson by the way,” He held his hand out in a sign of friendship and Clark was beginning to wonder if he had some kind of mental affliction.

“How did you get this?” He urged.  
“Oh, erm I found it. It was in crime alley and I was hoping to give it to Bruce as a birthday present. I think it's one of his mom's,” the man replied “Can you put me down now. Not that this isn't totally cool but it's starting to hurt my neck.”

Clark sighed and let him drop to the floor. Nimble as a cat he landed on his feet without swaying and stared adoringly at Clark “So you know Bruce?” Clark continued.

“He's kind of my dad. Kind of being that he took me in when I was nine,” He rambled.

“What are you doing out here then? Shouldn't you be with him at the manor or even out of this city. You should both be somewhere safe,” Clark instructed.

“Bruce wouldn't leave,” Dick shrugged “So I stayed too. And as for being out here I was getting the shopping in,” He motioned to some bags that were sitting not far from where Dick had been lounging.

“And you decided to sit on a roof top because?” Clark trailed.

“I wanted to make sure that the pearl was safe before I started my way back. Suppose I won't have to worry about that now huh? Say, can you fly me back? If not it's cool, but if you do that would be totally cool!” He gushed.

Clark groaned but agreed and soon had Dick safely dropped off at the manor. He dragged Clark in to see Bruce despite Clark telling him that he was staying the week at the manor anyway.

“But it's getting dark. You don't want to be out there when it's dark, come on, Bruce'll be happy to entertain you,” Dick reassured making fantasies of the night before rise in his eyes at the mention of entertainment.

He couldn't help but be dragged along and endure Bruce's frightened look when he came in behind Dick. It seemed he wasn't as adverse to human contact as Clark had been lead to believe since he welcomed a hug from Dick happily. Perhaps it was just strangers.

“And I found this,” He announced showing Bruce the pearl he had uncovered. The look that came over Bruce's features was beautiful. It relaxed in a look that everyone wears in shock which made him look so much younger than Clark had initially thought. He couldn't help marvelling at the loss the world suffered the day Bruce became a recluse.

“Where?” He whispered.

“Crime Alley. I've got the others looking for the rest of them,” Dick announced proudly before taking Bruce back into his arms. He returned it enthusiastically and Clark wondered how strong those arms were. They certainly looked it. He could see muscles in the arms that people get from hours in the gym. 

Then Clark remembered the whole reason that he tracked Dick down in the first place. The murdered had touched or held this pearl and since Dick had said they were scattered in the alley perhaps it was the old Wayne killer back again. They hadn't caught him after all and the Wayne’s could be his greatest achievement. It was certainly a possibility he was willing to explore.

“Others?” Clark asked.

“My brother and sister,” Dick answered.

“I thought you said you didn't have children?” Clark asked with narrow eyes. Bruce didn't flinch from his gaze.

“I don't.”

“They're adopted like me,” Dick explained “We're not really his kids but he's as good as my dad.”

They shared a smile.

“So what are your brother and sister called?” Clark asked turning the conversation to something light. He knew that it was fruitless to try and escape now. Dick had made it clear on the flight over and before they came to Bruce that he wasn't letting Clark out of his sight until he had signed all of his personal items.

“Jason and Cass,” Dick smiled before remembering that he needed to grab his stuff “Stay!” He motioned making Clark sit in one of the chairs.

“So that elephant, whose is it?” Bruce looked unnerved at being drawn into conversation again with Clark.

“Dick's, he brought it with him the night I took him in,” he explained avoiding Clark's eyes.

He heard the noisy boy climbing in his room to get God knows what and smiled at the fact that even if Bruce didn't like Clark being there that he wasn't alone in this big house. Dick thundered down the stairs with his arms laden with things for Clark to sign.

“Okay this is my cape from when I was ten. I saw you on TV and they started stocking red capes in the store so I bought one...” And so it continued for his first night in Gotham.

He signed until Bruce ordered Dick to bed and Clark retired also. His closed his window before changing and diving under the luxurious bed that awaited him. The pillows were soft and the mattress pliant under his weary form. But something was off.

Clark looked in the room for what it was until he realised that it was the smell. Bruce had the pearl with him in his room on the other side of the manor so it wasn't that. But the same smell was in the room with him. Seeping into the quilt and pillows. 

Clark cast a worried look towards the window that he had kept open for his return. He had came here. To this manor. Following Clark and leaving his message loud for Clark to hear. He couldn't hide from him because this was what he did. He stalked his victims, learning everything about them. And how long had he been stalking Clark. They had been playing this game for years now, there was nothing sacred to Clark anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit shorter than I planned.

He didn't hear the other two come in the manor despite being awake all night but they were there in the morning. Dick had made it his personal duty to be his escort everywhere in the manor, asking questions about anything that popped into his head. Clark couldn't bring himself to be annoyed at the boy, he lived in Gotham, so Clark was probably his only connection to what was happening outside. And after so long dealing with criminals and super villains it was probably nice to have some decent conversation.

"Okay so this is my little brother Jason and this is my sister Cassandra. But we call her Cass for short," He introduced. Jason looked to be seventeen and in the midst of a punk rock phase if the leather jacket poking over the side of one of the chairs was anything to go by, Cassandra looked to be fifteen and gave a martial bow to him instead of a greeting.

"What's he doing here?" Jason asked his brother. Clark ignored the hostility and moved around him to take his place at the lavish table. One of them had made breakfast and Clark wasn't going to let it go to waste since he had a snooping job to attend to.

"He's investigating that killer who murders those kids parents," Dick explained hopping into the seat next to Clark.

"Okay. But why is he here?" he stressed the 'here.'

"Apparently someone let slip that the murderer takes up residence here. Superman decided to come and take a look so Bruce let him stay here. Great isn't it?" he cheered before stealing one of Jason's pancakes.

"Play nice," A low baritone said just as Jason was about to stab Dick with his fork. "Good morning," Bruce greeted before taking his place at the head of the table.

"Morning Dad," Dick chimed and handed over the orange juice.

The man had circles under his eyes and his skin was paler than yesterday. Clark must have been really distracted last night to not hear even Bruce turning restlessly in his bed. Conversation was sparse at the table. Dick had ceased his questions as soon as Bruce sat down. Favouring shovelling food in his mouth instead. Jason and Cass were eyeing Clark wearily and casting looks between him and Bruce.

"I was thinking of going to the old museum today," Clark told them, if only to break the silence.

Jason stopped his food on its travels to give Dick an exasperated look "Did you tell him about the territories?"

"He never asked," Dick replied sheepishly "He had me by the throat when we met and it never seemed relevant."

"Territories?" Clark queried.

"We'll show you after breakfast," Jason told him and resumed his inhaling of food.

There was a map pinned up in one of the rooms which Clark later learned was Bruce's study. On it were sections coloured in or symbols drawn to separate Gotham. Jason took him through each of them in turn. It seemed that while the others had thrown their own villains in here they hadn't done so well to gain any land. Mostly Gothamites ran each sector. The green parts he was shown belonged to a woman named Pamela Isley who was known as Poison Ivy to everyone else. She had taken all the gardens and green that Gotham produced for herself and had her lackeys take care of the ones she wasn't present in. Clark was warned to stay away from her if he didn't want to become one of her love slaves. Then there was specific clubs and the museum that belonged to a buisnessman named the Penguin.

"He has people like Captain Boomerang and Mirror Master working for him. He also likes bribing the other leaders to join his cause if he has leverage but it usually ends in disaster," Dick mumbled from his swinging session on Bruce's chair.

The other parts were labelled accordingly and Clark had it committed to memory. He listened closely for familiar names and where they were and figured he would pay them a visit.

It was with reluctance that Dick let Clark go into the beyond of Gotham but he made him swear that he would be back no later than seven or they would go and search for him. Clark promised solemnly before ruffling the nineteen year olds hair and taking off. He had went with his super suit for the day since interrogation was the plan of action.

He knew that Mirror Master was particularly tricky to work with so he stayed clear of Penguins territory. Instead he went to the old harbour where the ice villains had taken up refuge. Clark stayed between the clouds for cover whilst he spotted out Captain Cold. Flash's villains weren't particularly bad in nature, just misguided and often told their plans to the speedster if the right incentive was given. It was a dark day when Barry had to say goodbye to his villains. The vote was unanimous, like most others, so there wasn't really anything he could have done to prevent it.

Cold had frozen another patch of water to walk aimlessly onto when Clark swooped in and grabbed him. He pulled him up to a suitable height from the ground and made sure that he was ice free before he began.

"Cold, I know you've heard about the parent killer. Tell me what you know," He threatened with a little shake. The man looked unconcerned and even cast a sighing glance at the ground.

"You may as well drop me," He muttered pitifully "Death has to be better than here."

"Cold," He shook.

The man rolled his eyes before snapping his gaze back to Clark "Yes I've heard of him. Everyone has. And parent killer? Would have thought you'd come up with a better name than that." Clark glared some more "We call him 'The Bat' and everything else I know you probably do too."

"Not helpful," Clark told him.

"Set me down and I'll see if I can think of something then. Flying isn't making thinking easier," he quipped.

Clark took them away from the harbour and set him down on the rooftop where he had met Dick the night before. He noticed the discomfort the villain showed at their location but didn't appease him by moving.

"Well?" Clark sighed.

"I don't think we should be talking here," Cold muttered casting his gaze around.

"Why not?"

"This is where we sometimes see him. I wouldn't put it past him to have surveillance put up," Cold told him shocking Clark by voluntarily stepping closer to him.

"Here? Are you sure?"

Cold nodded and made motions for them to get away from the rooftop. Clark sighed before picking the villain up again and flying them to the road leading to Wayne Manor. The house itself wasn't insight since it was at least ten minutes away from their location and it seemed to ease Captain Cold to be there.

"So he goes to that rooftop. What else do you know?" Clark urged finally happy that he had a lead "And why do you call him the bat?"

"He hangs from rooftops draped in black. Learning your secrets and every move. You wouldn't even know he was there most of the time and when you do the only thing you do see are red eyes staring from the dark. He knows everything about everyone here, people and locations."

"And..." Clark trailed, enraptured with the story Cold was telling.

"Well, you know yourself he can get out. We don't know if he's meta or not but we know to stay clear. One time Crock nabbed one of his little birds and broke their finger. It was completely by accident since he was using the kid for leverage to get The Bat to work for him. But in the second hour after the kid was taken Crock turned back to check on him and he was gone. The guards he'd stationed were dead with their throats slit and a bomb was waiting where the kid was. Crock can handle a bomb, but he's never went against The Bat again," Cold shivered as if the story was coming to get him.

"Birds?"

"His underlings. I've never seen them myself, he has three apparently. You should really stay away from him Supes. I'm not sure even you could capture him," He warned.

"Why's that then?" Clark challenged.

"Crock can hear the slightest thing and yet he turned away and didn't hear The Bat killing four of his men. What makes you think you have a chance? Judging from the look in your eye your facing the same problem Crock did," Cold smirked "How long has The Bat been hunting you I wonder," He mused before demanding to be taken back to the harbour.

Clark interviewed four other villains that day before returning at six to the manor. They had similar things to say about The Bat. All of it bad and making Clark uneasy as he followed the smell of dinner being cooked. Clark cringed at The Bat's smell. It had made itself known all over the manor and Gotham which was another thing that had made Clark uneasy. Tracking by smell wasn't going to be easy.

"What are we having?" Clark asked putting a cheery face on. Jason was standing at the cooker stirring what looked to be mouth watering spaghetti.

"Pasta, hope that's okay with you?" he glanced back. Clark smiled his agreement and left when Jason shooed him out telling him to check in with Dick.

Dick happened to be in their lavish gym, teaching Cass how to do some really complicated moves that Black Canary would be envious of. What really caught his attention was the fact that Bruce was also there. He seemed to follow Dick's instructions easily and although he didn't seem to possess the quality performance Dick had he was truly something to behold in Clark's biased mind.

"You're back early!" Dick cheered flipping over to him. "We're doing some warm ups, do you want to join?"

"Err no," he opted out "I'm more the brute strength kind of guy than flips and handstands. I don't even think I can do one. At least not the normal way," He rambled watching Bruce's arms flex as he held himself up perfectly still.

"Okay then you can watch. I need an audience anyway," Dick waved off the snort that came from Bruce. Which made Clark's face go into a dopey grin at the man showing some affection. "Now you'd better clap at the end!" He warned before cartwheeling his way back to Bruce.

Cass opted out of the team stuff that Dick had Bruce perform with him, preferring to practice another combination of movements to the side. Bruce on the other hand effortlessly led Dick into flip after flip, performing his own impressive moves whilst he waited for gravity to catch up with the boy.

Needless to say Clark was enjoying himself. Watching Bruce work out with his kids made Clark forget momentarily the state that he had first seen him in. There was nothing timid about the Bruce who let his son perform dangerous stunts. Clark may have indulged himself in using his x-ray vision to watch Bruce's muscles flex but argued that it was only so he could tell Dinah and Oliver later how Bruce had pulled them off.

They eventually stopped and pulled Cass back into their little group. She took the lead this time making them go through much more familiar moves. Clark knew that a recluse would want to learn how to defend themselves and thought nothing of it when they started sparring like champions. He figured that with nothing else to do they would become experts on what they could.

Clark did indeed clap at the end of their session and followed them out when Jason told them that dinner was ready.

"Wow, it's a shame that you don't go out," He told Bruce taking the back of the line alongside him "You'd probably win some competitions with those moves," He complimented.

"Thanks," Bruce smiled timidly making Clark beam stupidly at him. "I know I haven't really been a good host to you," He started off rubbing his neck awkwardly "So how about I give you a tour of the manor after dinner and you can tell me about your investigation. Despite what it looks like I am interested in it."

Clark was so happy he may have floated a few steps "That sounds great. I have some information that will definitely keep you interested. But I hope you don't mind if I ask you some more questions. I'd hate to intrude more but I think that you may have some links that I'm missing."

"Of course," Bruce agreed and pulled Clark's chair out for him before sitting himself at the top again.

Clark was tempted to kidnap Jason when this was all over. His cooking was magnificent and much better than the supermarket meals for one he bought.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you? The Watchtower's actually quite cosy," He propositioned to a laughing Jason.

"No," He got out between giggles.

"Imagine it though Jay," Dick envisioned "You'd be living the ultimate dream of catering to Superman."

"Then you do it fanboy," He nudged. "You'd have to watch out though. Between this one and Bruce you would probably starve to death."

Clark gasped in mock horror "Surely that can't be true. There must be something you can cook?" He asked Bruce.

The man shook his head grinning at his laughing children. "He tried to make a sandwich once," Cass said "It left Jason on the toilet for four hours."

They all burst out laughing again. Clark was happy that the atmosphere of this morning was gone. They were a happy family, one that Clark was glad to have met. Once dinner was over Clark excused himself on the basis that he wanted to change before their tour. Going around the manor in his super suit wasn't the only reason he wanted to go to his room though.

He needed to check in with the Daily Planet and give the report about how well his investigation was going. Perry wasn't thrilled that Bruce hadn't given him more than Clark had told but relented that he had a week to get the rest of the info out of him.

He changed into some casual if not slightly fancy clothes to show off to Bruce and picked up his phone to make one more call. He checked his messages back home. One was from his mother but the second one made him pause. There was nothing but white noise for a while before Captain Cold's voice came through the phone.

"He hangs from rooftops draped in black. Learning your secrets and every move..." It was the conversation he had earlier. Clark listened to Cold go on and for himself to reply before cutting the message off.

He sat on his bed panting. He'd never heard him like Cold said he wouldn't. He'd been there today and managed to gain another advantage over Clark. Wiping his forehead he went to meet Bruce.

Figuring that he would have to be more careful in the future Clark knocked on the ornate doors that Dick had pointed out last night and watched as a rather lovely chest he had peeked at earlier greeted him. Unfortunately it was swiftly covered by a turtle-neck jumper.

"Time for the tour then," Bruce announced and led him along the corridor.

Bruce was a rather excellent tour guide but again Clark could be somewhat biased since that low voice sinking into his skin just made him want to listen. Bruce pointed out important things such as the garden and parlour room. He also named everyone on the portraits they passed. Clark enjoyed trying to piece together where Bruce got what. He had his grandfather's nose and great aunt's eyes.

They ended in the library which actually did make Clark's jaw drop. He may have felt the twinges of jealousy staring at all the knowledge this library had. Sure the fortress had a super computer but it was nothing compared to the feel of paper and leather under his hands.

"I may have just fallen in love," He announced to an amused Bruce.

"It's quite something. It's one of the things I thought would be completely gone when the earthquake struck but I managed to fix it up again. But enough about this, I've talked for way too long. Why don't you tell me about what you found out," He propositioned sitting on one of the comfy chairs adorning the room.

Clark took the one opposite and filled Bruce in on his interrogations and the name of this unknown enemy. The news seemed to make Bruce withdraw into himself. The smile that had graced his smooth jaw was gone after a few sentences. The confidence he had shown telling Clark about his home sunk back into tense shoulders and a rigid posture.

"What do you intend to do then?" He asked worriedly.

"I don't know. I'm going to interrogate some more people before trying to find out how he comes and goes. Perhaps if I found a way to trap him here like the others the killings will stop."

"Maybe." Bruce looked worried and hesitantly met his eyes "The questions you had for me, can they wait. I don't think I'm comfortable answering them right now."

Clark understood and let him go. He knew that he should have made it less factual and more comforting, like Clark was near to actually capturing the guy. But he hadn't and now had to bear the consequences. He hoped that Bruce would return to his pleasant self by morning. After having witnessed who Bruce Wayne actually was he didn't think he could go back to the timid shell of a man that had greeted him.

He got up and paced the library for something interesting to read. There was a book bound in leather with no title on the table nearest the door. It too, unfortunately, smelled like The Bat like most things but Clark was interested in what had singled its presence out on the table.

His answer was that it was an album full of Bruce and his kids. It started with Bruce and Dick grinning into the camera. Dick had to be no older than nine with his big blue eyes and short black hair framing his chubby face. The next few were of Dick in various stages of contortions, some of them had Bruce joining in. He eventually got to Jason being included in the photos. It was uncanny how much the two unrelated boys resembled each other. He was staring sullenly at the camera before Dick stretched his mouth in a smile in the next one. Cass was near the back of the album. She seemed to have joined them in the midst of the earthquake since the manor was nothing but ruins all around them. They were all smiling happily enough amidst it. Dick hugged his new sister proudly. And although she was the only one not smiling she seemed happy enough to be there. She looked like she had been through some hazard with cuts adorning her arms and her boyish hair cut made her look more like their little brother than sister in the photo. If it weren't for the eyes Clark would say that they were actually Bruce's kids since they shared most of the same characteristics.

Clark grinned down at that last picture and set the album down. The library was silent and Clark listened to the four occupants of the manor settle down for the evening. He made a promise to himself there that even after the week was up he was going to come back here. Not just because Bruce left him breathless but because it was nice to be reminded that even though they live in a hell hole that they can still be happy where they are.

He made his way back to his room smelling that awful stench that had seeped once again into the bed covers. It seemed that The Bat had paid another visit to his room while he was gone. Clark sighed in defeat and took a shower to get his mind off his stalker. It would do no good thinking about him right now since that was what he wanted. He wanted Clark to become as obsessed with him as he was with Clark. The stunts he was pulling were nothing but mind tricks. Messing with him because he can get past Clarks' heightened senses. He has defeated Clark already by being better than him. Never getting caught and never making a name for himself like other villains do. All because he didn't have to. Clark did it all for him. He just had to be better than Clark and he could get away with his vile crimes.

But he wasn't going to think about that. Instead he tried to cast his mind onto something else and thought back to Bruce in the gym with Dick and Cass. He hated indulging himself in this way but it wasn't like the other man knew what he was doing so he let his hand wander down the familiar path to his cock while his mind went to thinking about Bruce. About his muscled thighs and how good they would feel. He had a few scars but they just added to his look. Clark fisted himself thinking about Bruce's chest and how good it would be to release himself over it. Or maybe just have him pose in Clark's room while he indulged himself like he was now. He felt himself nearing as he pictured Bruce's eyes darkening with want and his lips tipped up into that smile. He bit his lip to keep from crying out as he came over his hand.

Washing off felt like he was erasing evidence. But he figured that he hadn't really done anything wrong. It was natural to- Clark stopped still as something caught his eye. He looked up to the shower curtain to watch the shadows in the bathroom.

There was something off. He couldn't quite place it since his orgasm was making his mind a bit slow but as he focused on the row of small balls hanging just outside of the curtain he realised what it was. Clark drew it back being careful to not disturb the pearl necklace that had been recovered and hung in between the top of the shower curtain. The Bat's stench was everywhere again and Clark had the sickening thought of him being in the same room as him while he showered.

Carefully Clark removed Bruce's mother's pearls and dressed himself in his room. He cast his gaze to the shadows and then out the window, remembering what Captain Cold had told him about shadows before leaving to find Bruce.


	3. Chapter 3

Clark had a hard time staying on point when faced with a sleepy Bruce Wayne. His hair was everywhere and stuck up or hung down in places that looked adorable on the usually proper man. But Clark had to tell him. It was hard to get the words out and stick to his story. He hadn't wanted to worry Bruce or his family which was why he kept the first break in to his house a secret. But now? Faced with the pearls that were rightfully Bruce's he had no choice but to tell him everything he knew.

"I'm sorry but I don't think you're safe here. I'll leave immediately but I was wondering how much it would bother you if I kept an eye on the manor still. I don't know if he'll come back but I wouldn't like to make the assumption that he wouldn't," Clark shifted on the bedspread and set the pearls on Bruce's dresser, passing the still man as he went.

"Of course you have my permission," He finally muttered. His gaze was fixed on the pearls that were sitting complete next to him. "There's a house not far from here that could be useful to you. I don't know if it's still standing but it's as close to a neighbour that the manor ever had. Dick says the old Drake place has some rooms but that's as far as I know. You'll have to ask him to take you in the morning."

"The morning?" Clark questioned "I was going to leave now. It isn't safe for you."

"Nor you," The steely gaze was back on Clark "You seem to underestimate the true potential of Gotham. It makes me wonder how you're still alive." The floorboards creaked outside of Bruce's door and Clark listened in to find Cass breathing next to the wall.

"Luck and skill. Is everything alright Cass?" The door opened at the sounding of her name and the girl peered inside nervously. Her short hair hung low over her eyes as she conveyed some silent message to Bruce. He nodded and she left with a last look at where Clark was sitting "Is everything okay?" He asked instantly alert and listening around the manor.

"Fine," Bruce said getting up. His pants rode low on his hips making more of his pale skin come on show. "Cass said that Dick was restless. It happens," He waved away.

"Alright," Clark agreed and let Bruce go comfort Dick who Clark distantly heard muttering and pacing in his room. He was really distracted tonight. How could he have missed that.

He went back to his room with the distant sounds of Jason's breathing and Dick's sobs echoing in his ears. The smell was stale when he entered meaning that the Bat hadn't been back just yet. He crawled into his bed with the thought of his plan racing through his mind. He had to find out how the Bat was entering and exiting Gotham. Maybe it would shed some light on how he could capture him. He distantly wondered what Barry had planned tomorrow. He knew he was fast but with the help of the Flash he would be done faster.

Morning came all too soon for Clark's racing brain. Breakfast was a subdued affair. Bruce and Dick both looked tired after their late night while Cass and Jason, who were probably used to the changing atmosphere, didn't try and engage in conversation. All of his things were packed and he felt rather sad to be leaving their home so soon but knew that it would be for the best. He couldn't have them worrying about another psycho in this city breaking into their lives.

That night saw him waiting on the roof that Cold had pointed out. He had taken one side of the city and Flash the other. He used his x-ray for most of the work and only went into the places where his vision was blocked by lead.

A red streak slowed down becoming visible as Barry. "Anything?" He asked taking another sweep around for the 'Bat.'

"Nope. Sorry Kal but everything's secure. The way I see it he's either got a guard on the inside or some kind of air support. That or he's a meta. What kind of credentials did you say he had again?" Barry didn't usually talk a mile a minute unlike his nephew and the jittery way he was standing now really unnerved Clark.

"Normal I assume. But he has been known to sneak in and out the manor without my hearing detecting him. A meta might not be that far off," He indicated for them to start walking back to the Drake manor.

Flash had reluctantly decided to stay with Clark for which he was grateful. He never would have thought two nights ago that he would be scared to sleep alone but here he was. Flash also had his own reasons for staying. He had wanted to check out Gotham for himself. The place made everyone curious for a look but it was more than that for Barry. He was against the idea from the start and only now with the pull that Superman had was he able to cross the boundaries into this no man's land and check on the poor souls that were condemned here.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Barry asked almost reading Clark's train of thought.

"Cold's survived this long and I'm sure the others are bunkered down somewhere. We can check in the morning though," He reassured making Barry look even more queasy.

"I can't believe people actually live like this. It's wrong!" He hissed jumping when a shadow streaked by from one of the buildings.

They took off faster and made it to the Drake manor in seconds. "I know but there's nothing I can do. Even if I ran an expose on this city people would just believe that this was what they deserve. You know better than anyone the effect it's had on the people outside of Gotham."

Barry kicked a pile of rubble and pulled his sleeping bag from his duffel "Crime's down and people can walk the streets safe again," He repeated what had become almost a slogan for Gotham. "But do they honestly not see the problem with it. Some of those people were one time offenders but since the prisons were full they were sent to their deaths in here. God knows how many have died! Not to mention the others. Those who actually need help, but where are they? Here, in a place where there are no doctors. They're humans but they're treated like animals," he spat tossing in his makeshift bed.

"I know," Clark sighed running his hands over his face. He had the same thoughts but it wouldn't do any good to voice them. The government believed Gotham to be a success and that was how it was staying. "We'll check on them tomorrow," He repeated more for himself than for Barry and settled down in his own sleeping bag.

The Drake manor was nothing more than ruins like Dick had said but there were a couple of rooms that were still standing. One of them had been the bedroom of a young boy. He wondered looking at the photo lying in the dust whether he got out. Whether he's still alive and living happily in the streets that Clark tries so hard to protect. Or whether he's lying on him right now. A boy cut down because of an earthquake and the lack of humanity from the government.

Sleep was hard to come by but he did eventually drift off. Waking when Barry zipped too and fro as he waited for Clark to wake up. True to his word they checked on everyone that day. Barry made it his mission to find all of the villains he had ever fought and make sure that they were alright. Some were and had only spiteful words for the hero but others like Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang were actually glad to see the speedster again.

"Your sister's doing better but I'm afraid that's all there is," He told Cold who looked elated just to hear the news that his sister was still breathing.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her," He said and turned back to join the other ice villains in the harbour.

Mirror Master was nowhere to be found and Clark wondered briefly if he was hiding in his mirrors away from what was happening. Barry spoke into one on the off chance that he was and told him about his family. It seemed that the red streak had been prepared in his journey and looked up everything he could about his former villains.

"It's nice of you to tell them," Clark remarked as they made another tour of Gotham.

"They need to know," Barry insisted "They have families who still care for them and they need to know what's going on. Just because the rest of the world has abandoned them..."

"I know," Clark told him "I was thinking earlier, before you even came here actually, that we should form some kind of relief for them. The ones that want it anyway. Maybe send in some more supplies and provide meetings with loved ones."

"Yeah," Barry agreed looking closely at Clark "So what's Wayne like?"

The question was unexpected since he had only briefly mentioned bunkering down with Bruce for the past couple of days. "Quiet," He commented.

"Is that all? Ollie said that he was quite odd. I would have thought you'd have more to say," They passed the gardens where a red haired woman was glaring at them to keep away. Clark smiled and Barry waved as they passed to show they meant no harm.

"Oliver knows Bruce?" He had never thought of the billionaire having any contact with the recluse. But then again they both come from old money. They were bound to cross circles when they were younger.

"He visited a couple of times with his parents. Apparently Wayne would just sit there and read. He said it got worse after his parents died, before he shut himself from the world Oliver said he went to one of Bruce's functions that the company was throwing and I dunno what happened but you should see the face he pulled," Barry's words were light but there was an underlying note of concern.

"Scary?"

"Apparently. So he's never pulled anything weird on you has he?" There was a shooting taking place a couple of streets over so Clark rushed and took the guns before anyone got hurt. He realised too late that he should have taken the knives from them too when he heard someone scream.

"No. He was perfectly nice actually. He has three kids that were also nice. They were the reason I left, I didn't want to put them in more danger," The mob bosses had taken what they came for and made sure to dispose of their corpse.

"Hmm," Barry hummed toying with the cavern that dipped in one side of the road. "I wonder why he didn't leave. I know that place is his home and all but he's living with a bunch of psycho's now. Anything would be better than that."

"I know but something's keeping him there. I didn't want to pry since he barely spoke to me for the first day," Clark pulled Barry up just as his foot slipped down.

"Thanks."

They journeyed back to the Drake manor to get think on what to do next. There was no discernible exit apart from the three that Barry had thought up that would allow the Bat to escape into other cities. Not to mention there was something bugging Clark about why he came back to Gotham at all.

"Don't you think it's strange," He said relating his thoughts to Barry "He can escape any time he likes but he keeps coming back here. He hasn't been caught and can avoid detection so living in another city would be easy to him. Why does he keep coming back?"

"That's actually a good question," They thought on that whilst they moved some of the rubble out of the way. Clark only had two days left before his job required him to leave so he was going to have to take advantage of any new development that came his way. "Is there any place that he frequents? Maybe we could try and spring a trap of some sort." Barry seemed to like the idea of a trap "I mean, he's obviously a creature of pattern. Why else would he come back here like you said. Perhaps he was focusing on you more because you've upset his norm, gotten to close to something you shouldn't have."

"So he tried to scare me off," Clark agreed thinking back to the pearls. It had definitely worked "But he made contact months ago, I'm no closer to catching him then than now."

"But you're here now. Tell me when did things start to become more sinister?"

Clark thought back to when his apartment had been violated. He had done nothing different that day, just went to interview one of the guards about Bruce. Bruce! He had went to go see him that day.

"It's Bruce. He has some connection to this guy. Listen Barry, the cases that have been cropping up in relation to the Bat are all replica's of the Wayne murder. The day things started becoming more intrusive was the day that I met Bruce. Then again when I came to stay with him." He went and got the files out of his bag to show Barry. The policeman in the speedster had taken charge and was rifling through each one for connections and things that normal people miss.

"Maybe it's someone that Bruce knows. Did you ask him about the murders?" Clark shook his head negative. The man seemed so closed off that it was never a good time to bring it up. "Well I think you should. You need to go stay with him again- and don't argue! This time you'll be prepared. You need to ask Bruce about anyone from his childhood and make a list. I'm going to see if I can get some clearance to come back in since I need to go to the lab for some things. If the Bat shows up set a trap," He rattled gathering up his things in his excitement.

Clark watched as he zoomed off to the bridge before taking a breath. He could keep up with Barry no problem but sometimes he just went to fast for Clark to bother. Relaxing he gathered up his things like Barry had told him.

Dick lit up when he answered the door to Clark and dragged him inside whilst shouting for Jason and Cass to "Come greet out guest!" He happily filled him in on what he had missed in the manor. Telling Clark all about Jason's new recipe's and Cass's new flip that she had taught him. He was even more excited when Clark asked if he could stay again and ran off mid sentence to go get Bruce.

The man himself was surprised to see him and smiled pleasantly as he took Clark's bag off him "What made you change your mind?" he inquired with an arched brow.

"I figured that you lot were safer with me around rather than not. Also I enjoy your company," He complimented making Bruce's smile soften into something more intimate.

"Well that's good. Dick's been talking none stop since you left. He whined for me to call you back to the manor for three hours before sulking on top of Jason," He led Clark back to his room that he had two nights previous and placed his bag on his bed.

"On top?"

"Dick doesn't believe in personal boundaries," Bruce explained making Clark chuckle at the images that brought about. He couldn't imagine the other three occupants in the manor enjoying Dick's hands on approach. But he had been proven wrong before and Bruce didn't seem to mind talking about it. "Dinner was already served but if you ask nicely I'm sure Jason would be more than happy to make you something."

"No that's okay. If you don't mind I can actually cook a little myself," Bruce huffed happily and left Clark in his room.

The kitchen was spotless and Clark wondered how Bruce had imported all of these pots and cookers after the earthquake. There wasn't much to eat which reminded Clark of his mission to make sure that Gotham received more supplies and maybe make some house calls whilst he was at it.

"Can I help you?" He whipped around staring shocked at Jason lounging on the bench. He hadn't heard the boy come in which slightly unnerved him. Maybe he was loosing his hearing.

"I'm just making something to eat. Bruce said it was alright," He defended when Jason scowled in his direction.

"Did he now? Well too bad for you that this is my territory," He said and walked over to where Clark was rifling. He closed the cupboard before taking some ingredients out of the fridge.

"You don't have..." He stopped when an icy glare was directed at him.

"I'm not having you mess up the kitchen when I've just cleaned it." He sighed into the mixing bowl "Besides it's bad manners to neglect a guest."

Clark couldn't help a fond smile at the teen. Even after everything Bruce had made sure they knew etiquette. He wondered why Bruce thought it would be a good skill to have when they hadn't moved. Perhaps he was hoping that if the boys were nice enough the villains would leave them alone.

Jason was truly something he was tempted to kidnap. The boy could cook for Gods and even gave his Ma a run for her money. Clark was thinking up a list of ingredients he was going to bring next time he came, just so Jason could have more to experiment with.

"So why are you really back?" He asked spooning the ice cream in his own bowl.

"Make you you're all okay," Clark answered digging into his own.

"No. There's something else. What is it?" The boy had a knack for secrets.

"I think that Bruce might be the connection to what's been happening and I'm hoping that I can find out more," He told truthfully. Jason just scowled again.

"Isn't that why you came here in the first place? You said you thought there was something between Dad and the murderer before so what's changed?"

"I found a different connection. The first was just the similarities between the cases but now I think it's someone from Bruce's past that might hold some insight. I just need to talk to Bruce to make sure," He said and watched as the lines smoothed out on Jason's forehead.

He nodded to Clark "Okay then," and returned to his ice cream.

After dinner Jason followed him to his room telling about how annoying Dick was when Clark left. It was nice to hear some brotherly affection in his voice when he talked about Dick and made Clark admire just how amazing Bruce was. He had taken three orphans and made them a family, one that actually thought of each other like one despite them meeting at late stages in their childhood.

The smell was back in his room when he opened the door but this time Clark paid it no mind. He wasn't going to be intimidated away again. This time he was sticking to the plan and confronting Bruce about his connection. Clark changed into something less intimidating than his super suit before listening for Bruce's breathing and making his way into the parlour room where Bruce sat with Dick draped across him. The billionaire didn't seem to mind that a twenty year old was squashing him and seemed to be almost ignoring him if not for the random pats he would bestow on Dick's head.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked politely and took a seat opposite them when Bruce relented.

"Where's Jaybird?" Dick asked turning his head to Clark.

"In his room. He said something about catching up with his sleep," Clark laughed at the guilty face Dick pulled. It turned out that Dick had kept Jason up half the night with his sulking. "I was hoping to ask you about the murders. It's just we've never actually had a chance to talk about it."

Bruce grimaced and set his book down on Dick's face who huffed before putting the book to the side. "Do you really have to ask me about it?"

"I think so, sorry. There's been some developments and I need some facts that only you can provide," Clark offered watching as Bruce weighed up his chances of escape before relenting to Clark's questioning.

"What do you want to know?"

"Firstly, after it happened what happened to you? I mean I know that you were in police investigations but you remained in the manor for the rest of your life so how did that happen?"

"We had a butler, his name was Alfred and he looked after me after my parents died. It was thanks to him that I wasn't taken into some care home or passed on to another money grabbing relative," Bruce said lost in his own past.

"Was?"

"He died when I was nineteen," Was all he said on the matter.

"I'm sorry." Clark sighed and continued his questioning "Did you have any friends when you were younger. Before or after the incident?"

Bruce hummed looking pensive for a moment and Clark wondered how anyone had to think about whether they had friends when they were younger. He then remembered what Barry had said about Oliver calling him weird.

"There was Tommy. Thomas Elliot, he was my friend before and after it happened but we lost touch. Oliver Queen, I think I remember him coming over a couple of times. He wasn't strictly a friend more of a playmate, the same with Lex Luthor. Other than that I can't really think of anyone." Wonderful one of those was his colleague and the other on the brink of moving to Gotham. He supposed he couldn't rule out Lex entirely but it seemed unlikely. Thomas seemed like a good route to look into.

"Thank you," Bruce looked a little surprised.

"Is that all?"

He smiled at him "Yeah. Don't worry though, I'm sure I can think of some more for tomorrow." Hopefully Barry would be back with a clearer picture of what they should be asking about. He was certain now that the connection was hidden somewhere in Bruce's mind

Dick started demanding Bruce's attention once Clark had finished his mini interrogation and he couldn't help but huff a laugh at Bruce's resigned sigh before relaxing himself under the twenty year old and fluffing his hair. Dick gave Bruce his book back when he was content with Bruce's level of petting so Clark left them to it.

Strangely the smell hadn't grown any stronger when he was gone but that didn't deter Clark's thought that the Bat wouldn't return tonight. He knew that it was a matter of time before he would start toying with Clark again.

Clark took out his laptop and wrote up the story he was going to submit to The Planet. There was enough new evidence that would keep Perry happy and hopefully lead to a follow up story. An hour later and Clark was satisfied that his story would make front page news so he shut down and got ready for bed.

After spending the night in the Drake manor with nothing but sleeping bags that Barry had provided Clark was more than happy to luxuriate in Bruce's heavenly soft bed. He wondered if he asked nicely enough that Bruce would let him take it and then blushed when his mind went to places concerning taking Bruce in this bed, or even his own. It had looked softer than this one when he had briefly seen it, not to mention it was draped in darkness with the lack of light from the curtains. Perfect for lie ins or seclusion for romantic endeavours.

He was considering taking care of the noticeable problem that had made itself known when cursing Oliver Queen became the better choice. "What is it now Oliver?" He asked into his phone. It couldn't be an emergency otherwise the comm link would have been used.

"Barry told me you were at Wayne's," Even without the archer being there Clark could picture the pouted scowl on his face.

"Yeah, it's a lead for the murderer. Not to mention my editor wants an interview with him. I hope that's okay."

"No it isn't. You need to get out of there," he warned and Clark floated lazily over to the window to see if any immediate threat was there.

"And why's that?" There was nothing but trees and bushes for miles. No one but the five of them were on the grounds.

"Because Wayne-"

"Superman?" Clark turned to see Bruce at the entrance to his room. He was gazing at where Clark was floating with fascination.

"Gotta go," he hung up not really hearing the expletives thrown at him through the phone. "Was there something you needed. Is everything alright?" He asked, his mind going to panic mode immediately.

Bruce shook his head with a little smile "Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk to you for a while. But if you're busy..." He trailed looking pointedly at where Clark had hung up on Oliver.

"No," He reassured "It's nothing that can't wait." He tossed his phone on the bed and stood back on the floor to walk towards Bruce. "So what's bugging you?"

Bruce sat on Clark's bed and indicated that he do the same. He shuffled around for a couple of minutes trying to formulate what he was going to say "The thing is, I never really thought about moving out of Gotham. All my life I've been here and I'm so used to it now that it doesn't really seem all that unusual. But when you came I realised that Gotham's a lost cause. It always has been and this is no place for me and my family." He seemed to be struggling with his thoughts but Clark couldn't help him for fear that he might close up again. "I was wondering if you could tell me what the other cities are like."

"Which ones?" He asked already thinking about all the things Metropolis had to offer. Number one being that he was there.

"Any really. I hear that there's hardly any crime anymore," Bruce prompted.

"Well I wouldn't say that," He rubbed the back of his head "There is still a lot of crime that happens but usually it's only minor offences. The people know better than to go toe to toe with us these days."

"But still, it's better than Gotham?"

"Yeah," Bruce nodded with his eyes cast far away from the room they were in. Clark wondered if he would actually go through with the move or stick to what he knew and stay in his manor.

He snapped out of it and smiled slightly at Clark. But then Bruce got really close to him and leaned slightly to the side, making his eyes connect to Clark's in a way that had Clark hooked. "Clark you're-"

"Hmm?" he hummed not wanting to spoil the atmosphere that had settled over them.

"I think you're-" He sighed and leaned in while Clark met him halfway in a kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

Bruce's lips were softer than they looked, and they looked pretty soft to Clark. Moulding perfectly into kiss after kiss that he could almost drown in Clark tentatively brought his arms around Bruce's waist parting to get a better angle on Bruce's sinful mouth.

"You're phone's ringing," he heard Bruce mutter as Clark leaned in for another kiss.

It was only halfway through him exploring Bruce's mouth that he realised what Bruce was reaching for. Clark had just jumped him and was currently taking advantage of him. He pulled back gently with his mind in turmoil for what he had just done. Moving away he watched with regret as Bruce tried to follow the distance Clark was putting between them.

"Oh my God," Clark bit out "I am so sorry," He rushed feeling his face burn.

Bruce looked vaguely confused and disorientated which shouldn't have made Clark want to kiss him again. "Sorry? Is there something wrong with your phone?"

"No I meant about-" He couldn't bring himself to say it and instead panicked and flew out the room before he did something worse to Bruce.

The skies were always a comfort to him and usually were a place where he could forget his troubles and listen to others. But today they offered nothing but a ringing phone and the removal of Bruce Wayne from the room Clark was staying in. He couldn't bring himself to look at Bruce or even Gotham for that matter so he flew out of the city.

Metropolis glowed brightly as always and welcomed him gladly back into reality. Being away for so long seemed to make it shinier in its appearance which inevitably made him compare it to the historic buildings that crumbled and made up the houses of the rogues in Gotham. Clark flew on.

Central City was no help. All of its villains were gone and the streets were quiet with a peace only dreamed about. It didn't help either. Not when he knew that Barry was looking into the same things Clark was. The same person.

Star City was slightly better with its unfamiliar streets that were still riddled with the odd mugger or two. Not to mention a certain green clad vigilante who was firing arrows in Clark's direction. He could hear the curses that Oliver was spewing out the corner of his mouth and almost flew on before relenting to Oliver's persistent call for attention.

"-Mental idiot!" Oliver ranted as Clark touched down "You hung up on me!" He pointed with a pout.

"Yes and I'm sorry," Clark noticed that Oliver relaxed slightly at the apology.

"Good. And good that you're here, I don't want you going back to Gotham," He ordered.

"I know, you said." Clark shifted his stance and tried to get the reason why he wouldn't obey Oliver in the end out of his head "Why not?" He asked.

"It isn't safe," He urged and Clark cocked his head in a 'really?' expression. "Laugh all you like Supes but there are people in there that could have you down in seconds. The psycho's that were born there are worse than the villains we put in ourselves. There's a reason why Gotham was closed down!" All things Clark had heard before.

"Look," He sighed "Unless they have Kryptonite I doubt I'm really in that much trouble. I'm only there for one more night and Barry and I think we're really close to catching this killer," He urged. But it seemed that not even the promise of catching the Bat was enough to alleviate Oliver's state of mind.

"No I forbid it. You're not going back. And you're especially not going back to Wayne's house. That guy's worse than half the people in the city," Oliver was fiddling with the end of his arrow which Clark knew was something of a nervous tick to him.

"You forbid it?" He asked incredulously "This is ridiculous I'll be fine!"

"No you wont!" Oliver argued.

Clark tried to change the subject to get them from fighting. They had monitor duty on Monday and he would hate to spend the whole night in a tense silence because of a fight. "What's so bad about Bruce. You were trying to tell me before I hung up." Clark sighed in thought when those blue eyes came into his mind.

"He's not okay Clark," The use of his name made him pay attention "There's something not right with him," He hissed "There was a reason my parents never brought me back to Gotham after his parents kicked it and I don't like you being there with him."

Clark made a soothing motion to try and get Oliver down from his hyped state "That was years ago though. He seems alright now. Besides what kid wouldn't be messed up after becoming an orphan." He thought back to the quaint little family that Bruce had built up "I don't know how he was but there's something fragile about him now Oliver and I checked the guy out before I went. He's perfectly nice and so's his family. Believe me you have nothing to- what?" Oliver had gone deathly pale.

"Family? What family?" The nervous tick had stopped but so had most of his other conscious features. Clark was half worried he was going into shock.

"He has two sons and a daughter," He explained hoping this would calm him down. It didn't and seemed to make Oliver start to shake "He adopted them after their parents died. Oh my God sit down you look like you're about to faint," He moved Oliver over to sit on the side of the wall.

Olive shook him off "You need to get them away from him Clark. He's not right and the fact he even has kids shows that. You need to get them away!" He repeated with venom.

"Oliver calm down. You haven't seen him in years, I'm telling you there's nothing to fear." Oliver seemed to be on a tangent and wouldn't listen to the arguments Clark gave. He wanted to stay and make sure the vigilante was alright but at the same time he couldn't help casting his mind back to what had transpired an hour ago. He knew he would have to go back sooner or later and confront what had happened. An apology was expected of him and he didn't like to delay his guilt anymore than he should.

Clark started floating upwards noticing that Oliver hadn't even spotted him leaving and promised himself that after Bruce he would come back and apologise properly to Oliver. After he had calmed down. So Clark took to the skies with Oliver's rant still in his ears.

"Poor Alfred. He didn't deserve that monster..." and made his way across the silent Central City and his beckoning home to the manor.

The light in his room was still on and the window still open. It was nice to know that Bruce hadn't shut him out. He picked his phone up from the bed and made sure that Oliver hadn't called recently before leaving the room. Bruce was lounging in the family room (which Dick had dubbed for him in their revised tour of the manor) with a painted pout on his face and a glass of what Clark suspected was wine.

"Is it okay to come in?" He asked and watched those blue eyes meet his own. He nodded even though the lines on his forehead became clearer in their frown. "Don't suppose you have anymore," He indicated to the glass in Bruce's hand.

He looked at it before smirking "It's juice. Gotham ran out of alcohol the first week of no mans land. I'll still gladly pour you some though," He offered and Clark declined politely.

"Wait so how are people getting drunk if there's no alcohol?" He remembered seeing quite a few people drinking on the streets. Not to mention the number of explicit bars that were open in the streets.

"I said we'd run out. Not that there wasn't any. Moonshine and other substances usually make their way around but every now and then someone brings in a black market bottle. The guards are more than happy to trade with people from the city." Clark thought back to his investigation. If they were likely to trade, who's to say they weren't helping the Bat out.

"What do they trade for. I'm guessing money wouldn't have been used for years in a place like this?" This line of conversation was safer than the other one. Not to mention more relevant to his reason for being there.

"No but that isn't to say that there isn't any," Bruce's frown became a pout once again "There are treasures hidden in Gotham that either were forgotten about or overlooked in the mass fleeing." Clark wondered what kind of treasures were hidden and how the inmates chose when and who to trade with. There had to be some system at work.

"Huh," He would have to relay this information to Barry. 'But onto other things' Clark thought to himself. "I'm sorry about before." The frown was back.

"Sorry?"

"For kissing you. I swear it won't happen again," He was proud that his voice didn't waver in his apology.

"Oh," Clark couldn't help looking at the slightly disappointed look on Bruce's face "Well apology accepted I suppose."

"Is there something wrong?" He asked tentatively. He couldn't help notice the lack of forgiveness sweeping over him at the minute and guessed that there was something else he wasn't addressing in his apology.

"You tell me," Bruce demanded "Was there something wrong? I mean I know I haven't kissed that many people but I would have thought that I wasn't that terrible."

"You think that..." So Bruce thought that Clark was apologising because he was a terrible kisser "No, it was great," Clark amended.

Bruce scoffed "I'm sure. After all everyone flies off after they've kissed someone."

"I didn't- I flew off because I thought I had overstepped my boundaries. I should never have done that to you. I'm a guest in your home and here I am having to explain that I just took advantage of you," He rambled which made Bruce seem even more despaired. He quickly thought back to what he had just said "Wait! That isn't to say that I just did it because you were here. I kissed you because I wanted to- I mean..." Why was this so hard?

"So you actually wanted to do it?" Bruce confirmed. "I wasn't just kissed because I was the only person around?"

"No. I like you Bruce and I think you're very attractive," He ran his hands through his hair with a nervous laugh at the confession. "I ran off before because you were leaning in to grab my phone and I misinterpreted it. I just freaked out because of my own stupidity. Not yours."

The frown was gone and in it's place an upturned eyebrow and a smirk "So my kissing skills weren't terrible?"

Clark laughed again "No. Very good in fact." He couldn't believe that he had went from apologising to flirting so quickly. This had been a very emotional night.

Bruce leaned forward and set his drink on the table in front of him "So if I was to ask if I could perhaps refine my technique I wouldn't be rebuffed." There was a heat coming from those silver blues that Clark had only fantasised being there before.

"Definitely not," Clark almost cringed at how gravelly his voice was coming out. But then Bruce was picking himself up and leaning down over him.

Clark couldn't help but moan slightly at the touch of Bruce's lips. He felt Bruce's hands holding his face up towards him but they soon tangled in his hair as Bruce situated himself on Clark's lap. He wrapped his arms around Bruce's broad back to keep him in place while he changed the angle on their kiss.

The air turned heady as Bruce stripped himself out of his shirt and pulled Clark back in. A whispered "Bed," was all it took for Clark to grab Bruce's ass as the man wrapped his legs around him and he floated them quickly to Bruce's bedroom. Clark couldn't help but laugh at the fascinated look Bruce had on his face as he played with Clark's spit curl which prompted Bruce to mess his hair up beyond recognition in retaliation.

Clark only shook himself after he chucked Bruce on his massive bed and stripped out of his own shirt. Bruce was more than happy to welcome him back into his embrace and even flipped Clark onto his back whilst he dragged his mouth down Clark's chest.

Clark couldn't help feeling like a teenager again as he bit and sucked gently on the exposed skin available to him. He gladly spent minutes agonising over one spot on Bruce's chest before moving on as the man leaned over him to the bedside. He stopped when he got to Bruce's pants and mouthed around the edges as Bruce rummaged in the side of his drawers.

"What are you looking for?" Clark asked nipping at the muscled skin below Bruce's bellybutton.

He heard the man groan impatiently "It doesn't-" Clark nipped again "Never mind," Bruce growled a little off before joining his mouth to Clark's again. "I was looking for something we could use but it seemed I forgot Gotham's shortage of luxuries," Clark had a feeling that this wasn't what Bruce was looking for but was too caught up in the moment to really pay attention to his nagging feeling.

"It's fine," He dismissed "We don't really anything tonight anyway." Which was true since he was sure that he would probably only last a hand job before passing out from elation.

Bruce smiled "If you say so," And proceeded to trail his hands and mouth down Clark's body again. "You're going to have to help me out here though. I wasn't really all that aware of things before I became a recluse and well..." He gestured to his surroundings.

Clark couldn't help but moan at Bruce's inexperience. It was both arousing and sad at the same time. Arousing won though and soon he had kicked off his pants to the floor followed by Bruce's. He sat them both up and had Bruce straddling him whilst he spat into his palms. He kissed him once and watched as those blue eyes disappeared for a while in bliss before connecting back to Clark's.

He nipped at Bruce's neck and glanced down to where their cocks were bridging the gap between them. He thought he'd help them along when he grabbed a hold of Bruce's ass again and brought them chest to chest together. The feeling of all that muscle warm and sliding against his own made him gasp and reach between them to make both of them feel even better.

He grabbed both of their cocks in his hand and pumped them lazily, wanting to draw it out for as long as possible. Bruce had turned away from Clark's gaze and seemed content to try and gnaw through Clark's invulnerable skin as he bit his neck and shoulder between groans.

He sped up the pace when he felt his balls tightening and knew that he wasn't going to last. He felt Bruce thrusting frantically into his fist and knew that the feeling was mutual. With a muffled cry from Bruce and a drawn out groan they came.

Clark fell backwards and stretched himself under Bruce. His bed was heavenly soft and the view could only be described as angelic. Bruce's eyes were wide and consumed with steely blue. His hair was in disarray and Clark couldn't help trace his blood red lips that made him look slightly vampiric in appearance.

"That's so much better when someone else does it," He heard him mutter before he pushed himself off Clark's chest and to the side.

"Sorry we couldn't do more. I'll ask Flash to bring some lube tomorrow. Well, I'll ask him to bring something like that in any case," He said thinking about how awkward that conversation would be.

"Flash?" Bruce asked looking over at him.

"Yeah. He should be back tomorrow, he went to go look into some of the files we have on you." He watched as Bruce's lithe body turned away from him. He wondered if he had said something wrong again but Bruce was just rummaging around in his drawers again. "Or you could find whatever it is you have in there and we could move onto round two in the morning," He grated and kissed Bruce's lower back. Clark sighed at the lack of response before returning back to the conversation about the Flash. "I just hope that he finds what he's looking for."

Bruce turned around unsuccessful in his rummage "What is he looking for? I hope I'm not a suspect," Bruce seemed a little concerned about that.

"No," Clark reassured "He just thinks we've overlooked a connection between you and the murderer. There's no need to worry. Between the two of us we should catch the Bat in no time," he kissed Bruce's worry lines.

"Yes I'm sure between the two of you you'll catch him," Bruce mumbled and pulled Clark into another kiss.

"Are you really thinking about moving out of Gotham?" He asked hopefully settling back down in the silken sheets.

"I don't know. It would be good for the kids but... Gotham is my home, it's all I know. I don't feel safe out of it," Clark could relate to that. When he had first moved out of Smallville he had felt the same. But he supposed it was a hundred times worse for Bruce. He had made himself a recluse for a reason and even ignored a government stated warrant to stay in the familiar. To make this sacrifice would be massive mentally for him.

"I did mean what I said. The streets are safer now the more violent criminals are all in one place. I wouldn't leave you either," He knew this for a fact. Now that he had met Bruce Wayne he doubted he could leave him alone.

"I doubt it," Bruce said sceptically "You are a hero after all. I'd probably only see you when you got off your duties."

"I'd make time for you. And with time I think I could even trust you with my identity," He pecked Bruce on the mouth. He couldn't stop doing that.

"I doubt the Flash would be happy with that," Clark could feel Bruce smiling so he knew that he was only joking "Or the rest of your superhero friends."

Clark snorted "Some of them have told their identities to half the world. They have no room to criticise me."

"Hmm. Say who are the other heroes. Not their identities, their super names. It's interesting to hear about them," Clark forgot sometimes that Bruce hadn't had much interaction with the outside world. Most of the heroes would have originated after Bruce's seclusion and the ones he did know about he probably knew very little.

So Clark told him. He told about Flash being the fastest man alive and the Green Lanterns being the police of the galaxy. He even told about Green Arrow in Starling City and made a remark about getting Cass a bow, she looked like she could shoot one well. He found himself drifting off explaining about Wonder Woman and the Amazons and finally fell asleep looking into those steely blue eyes.

Clark woke up late with Bruce wrapped around him and honestly couldn't be happier. Untangling himself was hard but he was slightly hungry and from the smells coming from downstairs it seemed that Jason had been cooking. He sped to his room to change before joining the three kids in the dining room.

"Have a nice sleep?" Jason asked slyly handing a plate of pancakes over.

"It was nice thanks," Clark said and turned to the food in front of him. He heard the other three snort and glanced up into their smirking faces. "What?"

"Oh nothing," Dick waved off "It's just that Cass got kind of restless last night and went to check on Bruce," He knew where this was going and glanced to the small dark haired girl in mild horror. "And then there were these really weird noises that she heard. What were they like again?"

Cass opened her mouth to reply but Clark beat her to it "Alright. Sorry Cass. I didn't mean to scar you or anything," The girl only smirked wider.

"It's fine," She said and dug into her pancakes.

"Yeah if you ask me it's good that someone's finally deflowered dad," Dick snorted at Jason's crude remark and Clark went beet red.

"Could we not?" He begged.

"Are you kidding?" Dick exclaimed "This is the most exciting thing since, well, you turning up!"

"We have to have some fun with it," Cass said and passed the butter down to Jason.

Clark was about to beg some more but Bruce came down. He hadn't bothered to right his hair and had only slung on a pair of sleeping pants before deciding to come downstairs.

"Morning," He chimed which was repeated by the others. They didn't mention what had happened to Bruce and moved onto a safer topic of the Penguin's new alliance with the Freeze Villains. Bruce turned to him and smiled "Morning."

"Morning," Clark repeated falling into a pattern everyone does when they're around someone they care for. It was like they were in their own little world or only spoke a language that no one else knew. It was private and theirs and Clark couldn't help but melt at the fact that just yesterday he had been fantasising about Bruce and finally living him in the same day.

Of course that was when reality chose to make an appearance in the form of Clark's phone angrily beating out a tune. He glanced at the caller and answered cheerily to Barry.

"I'm at the old Wayne building. Be here in ten minutes," Was all he said before hanging up.

Clark made his way there and spotted Barry on the roof of the ruined building. He vaguely thought it looked like a poor Where's Wally and laughed at how funny it would be if it was the other speedster here instead of his uncle.

"So what do you have?" He asked in greeting.

Barry looked relieved to see Clark there and held out a file to him. Inside was the picture of an aged British man with the name Alfred Pennyworth printed to the side. "I think this might be worth investigating."

The name was familiar and Clark remembered it being the name of Bruce's guardian and butler "What does this have to do with anything? The man's dead."

Barry was taken a back at that "Dead. Are you sure?"

"That's what Bruce said," he offered as an explanation.

"Really?" Barry frowned contemplatively "Though I suppose after a while one would just assume that they were dead," He mumbled.

"Is he dead?" Clark asked curiously and looked further into the police file. The report mentioned the butler going missing.

"I suppose he could be. The report just said that he went missing. Was Bruce certain that Alfred was dead?" Barry queried.

"He said the man died when he was nineteen," He also thought back to what happened last night "Oliver might know something," He suggested "They ran in the same circles and you know how it is with the rich. They always cover things up," He folded the file and handed it back to Barry. Both of them in agreement that another trip to the archer was necessary.


	5. Chapter 5

Barry had to convince Oliver to meet them again since he was still sulking. But when he heard that they wanted to ask him more about his acquaintanceship with Bruce he gave in. He met them on the rooftop that Clark had saw him on last night but this time donning a suit.

"I have a press conference this afternoon," He explained straightening his tie. "So what's all this about? Finally convinced that Wayne's bad news."

"Not quite," Clark started holding out Alfred's file "We were wondering if you knew the location of this man," Oliver's face paled when he saw Alfred's picture and slowly shook his head.

"No idea. I'd heard he went missing though," He sighed "That man was always nice to me. He used to sneak me cookies when Bruce was in one of his moods."

"Bruce said he was dead," Barry cut in. Oliver's head snapped up and his face went red "He would. Probably killed him himself," He spat.

"But he liked Alfred," Clark told him remembering Bruce's face when he asked about the butler "I doubt he would have hurt him."

"And it's thoughts like that which is going to get you into trouble boy scout," Oliver said solemnly handing the file back to Barry.

"He's not like you described," Clark defended.

"And he's not how you think," Oliver retorted "He was always good at manipulating people when he was younger. We had to attend the funeral and some parties that Wayne Enterprises forced upon Bruce and he always managed to suck up to people."

Barry quirked an eyebrow "Aren't you meant to?"

Oliver scoffed "Yeah but usually it's the grown ups that do it. He managed to get someone to hand over five thousand dollars after talking to them for two minutes. Then there was the kids table..." Clark was amused at what Oliver thought a dramatic childhood was. Sitting at the kids table whilst his parents schmoozed around before going back to his mansion for after elevenses.

"So you can't help us then?" Barry summarised and turned hopelessly to Clark "It was worth a shot," He shrugged "I suppose all we can do now is watch Bruce and hope the Bat shows up to ward you off."

"You're still going back there?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"Yes," Clark answered and watched Oliver rub his head in frustration. They left him again on the rooftop. No closer to the truth than they had been half an hour ago. "Maybe this case is useless. We're never going to catch him," Clark moaned when they stopped at the Drake house.

Barry didn't reply and was instead kicking rocks and rubble around. Eventually he muttered "It's a shame you can't hear him."

Clark nodded knowing that if he could everything would be so much simpler. But since he couldn't they were stuck not knowing where the Bat was. He was probably spying on them right now for all Clark knew.

"It's a shame we can't catch him," Clark retorted picking up the picture of the Drake boy again. He hoped that he was happy wherever he was. "It's a shame I can't stay here longer."

"You're coming back though?" Barry asked. Clark nodded, they had both agreed that there was some things to be done in this place. Not to mention he wanted to visit Bruce as well. Barry clapped him on the shoulder "We'll get him one day. We just need to figure out how."

They parted ways as Clark went back to manor. He spent the rest of the day packing his things and promising the Wayne kids he was going to visit. He even bargained with Dick that he would bring Barry next time which sent him into a panic about everything he was going to have him sign. Jason declared at three that he was going to throw a banquet for Clark as a special goodbye. Cass was nowhere to be seen in the manor whilst this was happening. Dick told him that Bruce had her out shopping for food down at the Penguins mansion.

Bruce was just as absent as Cass. After he finished his packing he had been hoping for another round with Bruce before dinner but he couldn't find him anywhere. Eventually he joined Dick in his room and asked about the guards that patrolled the entrances to Gotham. It was a topic he was going to address on his way out the next day.

"Well Gordon's nice. I had a thing with his daughter before the earthquake and he was always decent to me. Bullock and Montoya were cops on his squad but I don't think they're on the patrol team." At Clark's confused look he explained that "Most of the police from Gotham transferred to guard duty after the earthquake. They didn't feel right about leaving but they no longer had a job here so they took up the guarding positions."

"And how was Gotham's police department before no mans land?" He had a feeling that it wasn't good.

Dick confirmed it with a cringe "It wasn't good. Most of them were dirty and would do almost anything for the right bribe. Believe me when I say you didn't want to end up in custody with them, It's one of the reasons I'm so happy when Bruce took me in straight away. I didn't know at the time how bad it was," He shuddered "But when I did I saw how lucky I had it."

Clark thought on that "So these cops, some of them would have transferred to guard duty. The dirty ones?"

"Probably," Clark was going to have to bring it up to Gordon tomorrow. See if he could get any names and run background checks and surveillance on them.

Dick started digging under his bed again when no more questions were forthcoming. There were toys of all types flung haphazardly out apart from one that was diligently placed on the pillow of his bed.

"Favourite?" He nodded towards the stuffed elephant.

Dick grinned "My parents gave me it. It's the only thing I have from my time at the circus with them."

"Can I?" Dick nodded and Clark went to look at it. It was worn and sagging with age but the proud look Dick gave it showed that it was worth more than it looked. "It's cute. Reminds me of my suit." He pointed towards his absent 'S' "It was the cloth I was found in as a baby and my parents ended up making it into my Super suit."

Dick cringed "I feel kind of bad for asking for your cape now," To which Clark laughed. He promised to buy him one of the dress up ones in Metropolis and sign it for when he next came over. The look on Dick's face was priceless.

Dinner was delicious and revealed that Cass had managed to barter some imported ice cream for them afterwards. Bruce kept giving him inviting looks all throughout their meal which got worse when the ice cream was introduced. By the time Jason declared the meal complete Clark was seconds away from speeding the man upstairs.

Two rounds later and Clark was happily sated in Bruce's bed. The light edging in managing to reflect off their joined bodies as Clark revelled in their last night together. He didn't push the subject of the move onto Bruce that night and concluded that if he was serious then they could start preparing things the next time he came to Gotham.

"Just your type," He smirked at Bruce's playful fingers. They were running through his hair and curling the 'S' gently.

"Hmm?"

"Black hair and blue eyes," Clark grinned seeing Bruce catch onto what he was saying "Don't think I haven't noticed your little obsession." Bruce rolled his eyes and moved to lie next to him.

"What time are you leaving?" He asked glancing back over at Clark.

"Nine. I'm coming back though," He reassured "Don't think I'm going to abandon you now I'm finished here," He trailed his hands down Bruce's chest hearing him sigh.

"Try not to wake them when you leave," Bruce urged "Dick didn't like you moving to the Drake manor, God knows what he'll do if he actually sees you leave." Clark nodded understanding where Bruce was coming from. "I'll miss you," He whispered stroking down Clark's cheek.

"Me too," He kissed Bruce softly before turning in for the night.

Bruce was still asleep when he woke and he couldn't bring himself to goodbye again so he took his things and left. A change of clothes into his civvies and a trip to the bridge meant that his stay in Gotham was officially over. Gordon welcomed him with a handshake and a once over that suggested he really didn't think Clark was going to come out of Gotham in one piece. Clark indicated his head towards somewhere private up the road, away from the prying ears of the guards.

"What's the problem?" Gordon huffed.

"I think some of your men might be breaching the agreements set down for Gotham. Some people in there suggested they had been trading with your team and," He tried to phrase it delicately "I think one of them might be letting the murderer in and out." Gordon's eyes widened and his mouth opened to protest so Clark butted in "I know it's hard to hear but I'm going to see my friend. He's a policeman and he's going to be doing background checks on them. It's just a precaution and I hope you understand that any lead is important." Gordon nodded and promised to keep an eye on his team.

Metropolis was almost like walking out of the cinema on a bright day. It blinded the eyes that had been in the dark for too long and for Clark, he immediately felt the difference between the two cities. For one Metropolis fed his sun bathing habit without having to go into orbit unlike the smog infested streets he had spent his past week in. The next was the people. Granted most of the citizens in Gotham were criminals but Clark hadn't realised how much he forgot how nice a person saying hello on the street to him could be.

Perry was excited to see him and asked to see the interview Clark had drew up. To say it was going to make headlines was an understatement. Perry had thought about sectioning it off into three different pieces to see if they sold more but left the decision up the Clark in the end. He moved against the idea saying that he could always go back if they needed another scoop.

Lois was eager to hear about his trip to Gotham. She had been looking up all the villains put away in there while he was gone and asked if he had seen any of them. He had to say no obviously but let slip some gossip he had heard from the streets to her.

It was turning out to be a pleasant homecoming for him. Three hours back with the sun hot on his face and friends all around him. That was why it was hard for him to believe that things had gone so wrong so quickly.

A muffled scream and he was racing towards the elevator to the roof. Taking to the skies just as soon as his shirt was off. He listened carefully and judged that the scream was coming from an apartment block. No time to check where he was going Clark just went on instinct until he was standing in a familiar room. His room.

The screaming was coming from a tape recorder set on his night stand and was just the right frequency that Clark had mistaken it for an actual person. He knew immediately who had planted this without having to sniff the air and wondered what the Bat's game was.

Turning off the screaming he cast his gaze around his apartment. Searching through walls and doors for anyone who wasn't meant to be there. Anyone who looked even remotely suspicious. But there was nothing.

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration just as sirens blared in his ears. He darted out his window and followed from up high to where the police were headed.

A small apartment just next to suicide slums. He was in before the police and stood there in silence as they caught up to him. Black hair and blue eyes the boy wasn't any older than thirteen. He was sprawled on a bloodied mattress with empty sockets staring nowhere and needles sticking out of him in every direction. It was like acupuncture gone wrong.

"Drugs," He told the officer who came in "There's too many in his system. It was quick." Was all he could think of to say as he smelt that familiar odour.

This wasn't the Bat's usual signature which had Clark's mind reeling just as another scream sounded in the air. He was off and in the park this time. The boy was the same black hair and blue eyes but older more of a sure teenager. He was pierced at every angle like the one in the apartment. But unlike him this one was being kept upright by swords and arrows.

The scream had come from a little girl who was now traumatised for life at the depravity of others. He told the mother to call the police just as a third scream sounded. This was too much. There was no pattern and the freshness of the bodies suggest they were murdered around the same time. There was no way the Bat could have done this all at once. Not unless he was a meta.

The woman was talking quickly into her phone when Clark pushed his way into the gardens. Hanging from branches were ribbons and streamers such as you would find at a child's birthday party. A trapeze had been erected with the third boy's hands nailed to the bottom. He was swinging lightly in the breeze and had died quickly from his wounds and the bullet hole in his head.

The scent was faint but in the air and Clark felt a sob about to breach his throat. The boys who had been murdered were ones he had seen before. This one was the one Clark had seen just before he went to interview Gordon. The last the victim of the bat before this one and the other before that. They were all the ones he had kept alive. Until now. Nothing made sense.

Gunshots sounded from the south and Clark gazed at a scene he was more familiar with. A boy sobbing on the floor because his parents had just been shot. There was nothing he could say to comfort the boy. To be honest Clark was in shock himself. But then he saw the boys face. It was familiar and Clark knew him immediately.

"Drake?" he asked and the boy took a second from sobbing to look up at Clark. This was the Drake boy. The one whose house Clark had taken refuge in.

The police came and interviewed Tim. Clark offered to take him somewhere safe since he didn't trust the Bat to leave him alone after the last three victim's fate. Tim seemed somewhat reluctant but agreed in the end.

He took him in the air and drifted slowly, so as not to disturb him, towards Smallville. "Now then," He started "I'm taking you somewhere special but you have to promise not to tell anyone about it. This needs to stay a secret between us," He asked earnestly.

"What is it?" he croaked as Clark set him down in front of the farmhouse.

He pointed towards the farm "This is where I used to live. My Ma and Pa live here and they're going to look after you a while. Just until I know you're safe." Realising he was being entrusted Superman's secret identity Tim's eyes widened and he nodded his promise. "There's also someone else living here, he's going to make sure you feel welcome as well," He warned in his tone to the listening ear.

Kon came zipping out knowing he had been found out. "Kon," he held his hand out to which Tim shook. "But you can call me Conner."

"You're Superboy," Tim gasped and Clark left knowing that he was in safe hands.

He flew back to Metropolis hearing no more violence before deciding to make a detour to Central. Barry was running errands in his ghostlike city. There was no one to chase except muggers and even those were running short these days. Clark caught up to him and explained what had just happened watching as the furrow in Barry's forehead became deeper with each passing word.

They stopped at the park which was forever going to give Clark chills now and sat on the swings. "That's odd," Barry eventually said "Disgusting and wrong but also odd."

"That's what I thought," Clark agreed. "Apart from Tim's parents the other deaths seem wrong. It's not his usual style."

Barry kicked his legs "Maybe he's changing his ways. Hunting down all the kids he's traumatised for the fun of it."

Clark thought on that then had an inspirational thought "Or..." He trailed, the idea becoming more plausible the longer he thought about it "Maybe one of them saw something they weren't supposed to."

"Saw him," Barry continued. He jumped up from the swing "Do you remember all the victims names?"

Clark nodded "How could I forget them?"

"Good." Barry took off and Clark wasn't far behind him. They stopped at Barry's apartment where he told Clark to list the names off whilst he searched for their current whereabouts "The way they were murdered still doesn't makes sense though," He observed handing the addresses over.

"I know but we can't focus on that now. Have you got the rest of the day off?" Barry nodded so Clark handed over half of the addresses "You take these and I'll do the others. Phone in every hour just so we don't lose touch."

They separated and Clark went to the first name on the list. Most of the boys lived in orphanages and it took some convincing for the head of them to let Clark interview the children. It seemed pointless at the end of the day anyway. None of them knew anything.

He had asked if they had seen anything in the shadows. A shape or even a voice but they all had said that the bullets came from nowhere. He thought he had struck lucky when one of them mentioned a rustling sound but then they said that a cat had come out of the dark and Clark lost all faith.

Barry was onto the second last name when he phoned and told him he was heading home for the night. He mentioned that he was unsuccessful and it turned out that Barry was having the same problem. It seemed that the Bat had rectified his mistake or the boys were just murdered for the fun of it.

But it didn't make sense. The parents being murdered had a meaning. They reflected Bruce's tragedy and was a way to mess with the unknowing Billionaire. Perhaps the Bat had realised that his work was being unappreciated by Bruce since he was cooped up in his mansion and was seeking alternative murder's to copy.

He thought about possible people that he could be trying to reflect. He had chosen a high profile murder before so he might do so again. Clark's thoughts strayed to Oliver but his parents had died on the island. Only Oliver knew the details of their demise so it wasn't him. But then who was to say it was straying from Bruce. They obviously had a fascination with him if they were going to such lengths so perhaps it was someone close to him.

He entered in the window of his apartment and went to go change out of his suit. He checked his messages whilst he thought of people who were close to Bruce. There was Alfred but he was dead or missing, perhaps in hiding? Then there were his kids. They weren't dead though.

But they were orphans. And he was quite sure that Dick was from the circus. The image of the boy in the gardens came to him. He was on a trapeze that was lavishly coloured in bright reds and yellows around him. Very show-

Clark sniffed the air and turned. Behind him was a girl in a fully covered suit. Clark couldn't make out anything other than she was definitely a girl. The suit was black and had a cape but what made Clark pause was the pointed ears on her head. You could probably mistake her for a bat.

The thought had no sooner gone through his mind when he felt his limbs turn cold and the girls hand came up with a shard of green kryptonite that she slammed into Clark's face. He was knocked unconscious from the blow.

He woke up somewhere dark. There was dripping sounding nearby and a heavy weight on his chest. His arms were still weak from the exposure to kryptonite and he could barely move his head to see what was weighing him down.

No sooner had he moved when Bruce's tear streaked face came into view "Thank God I thought you were dead!" he sobbed "I don't know where we are, you have to fly us out of here."


	6. Chapter 6

"I can't," He told him and moved into a sitting position. Bruce looked bad. There was a cut on his cheek and his clothes were strewn with mud and blood. He touched the cut carefully to see how deep it was. Not much "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Bruce repeated shaking. "She just brought me here and there you were. I thought I was next but she told me to wait until you woke up and get you to tell me..." He trailed off as tears overflowed his eyes.

"No, Bruce listen. Everything's going to be fine. I just need a couple of minutes to get my strength back and then we'll be out of here," He looked at their surroundings. The alley they were in provided a clear path to the sky that darkened with every minute they spent there. Graffiti covered the walls and showed no sign of exit on either side. Somehow they were blocked in a square and there was no exit that Clark could see other than up. He turned back to Bruce and realised that he had been put there for a reason. The girl wanted Bruce to tell him something "Bruce what did she say. I need you to tell me," He urged.

It took a while for Bruce's sobs to subside but he managed to get his message out anyway "She wants to know who else is involved."

"Involved. Involved in what?" He had a pretty good idea what she meant though.

"I don't know," He cried "She just said that and left me here!"

He pulled Bruce close to him "It's okay. We're going to get out of this."

Bruce's sobs soon turned to hiccups as they lay against the wall of the alley. The sky had turned dark with the approaching dusk but still their kidnapper hadn't shown herself. "You know what she means right?" He heard Bruce say in his chest.

"Yeah," Clark confirmed and wondered why he was still weak. It had been more than enough time for his strength to come back but still he was no stronger than Bruce as he sat there. He figured there must be some kind of Kryptonite in the walls surrounding them and keeping him from leaving.

"Are you going to tell her?"

Clark thought about it. There wasn't much else he could do at the moment. He knew his comm. had been taken and his phone was back at his apartment. There would be no way to contact the league unless Martian was listening for telepathic calls. He had been trying since he had woke up to establish that connection though. "If it gets us out of here I will."

"I don't understand why she's doing this," Bruce whispered "Why is she doing this Kal?"

He stroked his hand through Bruce's hair. Even touched with mud it was soft in his hands "There are just some people in the world like that Bruce. They don't care that others are suffering because they don't feel it," He hoped someone would notice him missing. Maybe Barry would happen upon a trip to his apartment and wonder where he was. "I don't know why she's targeted you Bruce but I promise you I will find out."

They sat in silence as the sky became black and the wind started howling. He pulled his cape around Bruce to keep him warm, all the while looking anywhere he could for a figure in the darkness. He knew that he probably wouldn't see her coming. He never had with his powers so now he was powerless what made him think he stood a chance?

"What do you think she's going to do to them?" The question Clark had been wondering also "Or us for that matter. I can't imagine us staying here forever." He sighed brokenly "Oh God, Dick's going to..." Clark ran a hand down Bruce's back as he ebbed the panic away.

Clark hoped that worrying where Bruce had went was the only thing Dick was doing right now. He didn't know what he would do if something had happened to those kids. For all he knew they were strung up like the boys from earlier.

"I don't know what she's going to do to us," Clark confessed "But I wager she'll have a harder time catching my accomplices than she did me," He smirked. "Green Arrow doesn't have any powers but his sense of observation surpass even mine. Some days I'm so happy he's a hero, lord knows he's make a formidable opponent." Talking about the heroes that were still out there was calming Bruce down a bit so Clark went on. "Then there's the Flash. I doubt even she can run as fast as him. Not to mention he can think faster than anyone as well. She'd have to catch him when he was sleeping just to stand a chance against him."

He grinned into the darkness thinking about his friends. "Who else is there?" Clark hummed his question "Heroes, who else is involved," He clarified quietly "You said you had a whole team. Aren't they going to be looking for you?"

Clark rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment "To be honest those were the only two I confided in. The others are a little busy with their own things and Arrow and Flash always had some kind of connection to this case. They were bound to get involved eventually so it was easy to get them to help me."

Bruce sat up in his lap and gazed at him in confusion "So there's only two people who know to look for us. What about," he thought around and Clark could see the panic start again "What about your secret identity. Please tell me you're a policeman or something. Kal it could be ages before someone comes to look for us!"

Clark shushed him and calmed him down "Don't worry. Arrow and Flash know all about me so as soon as I'm missed in my day life they'll know to come looking for us."

"What about the people in your day life. Surely if they know you're missing they'll come and get you sooner. They have to know where you are right?" He beseeched. Clark shook his head.

"As far as they're concerned when I go missing I'm back home. The only ones that will really do something are Flash and Arrow. They'll find us Bruce, they're not called heroes for nothing," He grinned trying to lighten morale. Bruce took a deep breath.

"Are you sure there's no one else?" he sighed, his eyes glistening with tears again. Clark shook his head. "Alright then." He said as two figures were thrown into their alley.

Clark clutched Bruce close thinking the figures a threat before he realised they were tied up and relaxed his hold on Bruce. He set him aside as he approached a familiar red clad man but before he got too close something grazed his skin. Looking down he saw red well up on his hand and brought the gash to his mouth. Retreating he spotted the object that had assaulted him. A sharpened boomerang fashioned to look like a pair of wings was imbedded in the wall next to a cowering Bruce. Clark shielded him from view knowing that he couldn't get near Barry and what he was assuming was Oliver without another boomerang hitting him. He knew the second one wouldn't miss.

"Flash!" He called out instead and heard a muffled groan as the head of the scarlet speedster writhed on the ground. He wished he had his sight back so he could assess how bad their injuries were. There was no way the Bat had caught them without a fight. "Arrow!" He tried but Oliver didn't move.

Just then someone else dropped into the alley. It was the Bat with her form covered in darkest black that melted into the shadows. She kicked Barry on her way over to Clark and he noted the odd way the speedsters legs were tied. Both of them had been badly broken and without being set properly were mending into their new positions. The girl came closer and Clark tried to stand his ground with a few well aimed punches. He didn't really know how he ended up being tossed to the side but as he watched Bruce being pulled up and a grapple shot out of the alley he figured he must have been hit hard.

He tried to reach their flying forms but it seemed that her minion was around somewhere since boomerangs flew as soon as he went too close to Barry. Bruce was gone out of the alley in less than a second. He felt his legs collapse under him as his failure sunk in. She was going to kill him, he just knew it, and he had done nothing to prevent it. He hadn't spent the last half an hour trying to find a way out. Instead he had been comforting someone and hoping that his powers would be miraculously returned to him.

The next ten minutes went slowly for Clark. He spent them calling out to his friends and wallowing in self loathing for letting Bruce go so easily. Barry was screaming into his gag and constantly trying to snap his legs back in position. He wished he could go and help him. Oliver had woken up and seemed to panic for all of two minutes before trying to undo his bindings. It seemed that they had taken all of his equipment when he abandoned his composure for writhing much like Barry for two minutes. By the time the Bat jumped back in the alley all three heroes were defeated.

She tilted her head and regarded him behind her black face mask before signalling to someone above. Two more jumped down but didn't come into the light. He couldn't see who they were or even what they were. All he saw was Barry and Oliver disappearing into the shadows of the alley before being dragged into what Clark should have seen was a sewer drain. The Bat motioned her head for him to follow which he would have done without her instructions.

Instead of a sewer like he expected, Clark ended up jumping into a darkened room to which he was pulled through and into a long winding hallway. The man before him was dressed like most villains he had seen. He had a flair for tights and a tunic that were red and black. It all looked fairly ridiculous until he noted the muscles underneath the material. In his weakened state Clark had little experience in fighting like Oliver did. There was no way he could take out three muscled villains. Especially since these were the ones that had caused him so much grief these last few years. Clark couldn't underestimate them so he would have to rely on getting his team mates free and hoping they were a little better prepared for the situation they were in than him.

They were led up another ladder and brought into a lavishly decorated hallway. One he remembered. Barry and Oliver had been dumped to the floor but he couldn't bring himself to go to them just yet. There was Kryptonite in the room that made him feel fairly dizzy and rendered him to his knees for a while. When he had gotten his bearings he searched the parlour room they were in for Bruce. This was his house they were in.

The trapdoor in the hallway revealed just how the Bat had been getting in the house to begin with and worried Clark to no end the amount of times Bruce's life could have been at risk. There was no Bruce in the room but there was Superboy in much the same state as he was. Conner was cringing under the shocked glare Clark was giving him. He was sitting, panting at the bottom of one of the chairs.

Tim was clutching at his shirt from his perch on the chair and gazing unnervingly down at Conner. Clark should have known better than to trust the boy he thought looking into the sadistic look painting the child's face. It was him that had the Kryptonite and was holding it in his other hand eerily close to Connors face.

The Bat came in the room then towing Bruce along gently until he took the sofa. There Dick and Jason joined his flanks adorning black tights and an alternative of blue or red for a tunic. Something had changed in Bruce's face. There was nothing timid about the man sitting before him. His posture was still in a cowering hunch that was soon corrected as he saw the change in Clark. The steel in Bruce's blues were possibly the only thing that hadn't changed to become something intimidating. Since they had always been intimidating. They had always captured Clark's attention and showed that there was more going on in this mans head than what he showed him. Clark should have listened to what they were saying instead of ending up a fool in front of him.

"You've been getting too close," He told Clark. "It's a shame really. I would have preferred us to continue our game for a while."

"Game?" Clark gasped "You've been murdering people!" But Bruce had knew what he had been doing and it seemed that he didn't care. Just like Clark had said in the alley. There were some people who just didn't see what they were doing and it seemed Bruce was one of them.

"True," He nodded "But it has been fun watching you dance around me. I thought you would have found out the first time you came here. In fact I assumed that was the reason you came. But you didn't," he smiled coldly.

Clark growled low in his throat "You'd better start running," He said and looked for a way to get away from the influence of Kryptonite.

"Oh don't worry I am," Bruce assured him "I did tell you I was moving after all." Clark felt sick. "I was always reluctant to leave this place," he looked around "this is where I raised my children." he ran his hands through Dick and Jason's hair. Clark finally had a name to put to the one in the bat costume since she was the only one left out of this family gathering. "Where Alfred raised me. Although I suppose you know what happened to him, no doubt Ollie's been filling you in."

"You mean about how you killed an old man," He hissed thinking about how early Bruce started.

"Accidently," Bruce clarified and had the nerve to look a little guilty "He walked in on one of my earlier target practices and ended up the unfortunate victim. But that won't happen to you so if you'd all like to follow Cass we can get this over with."

Dick went for Barry whist Jason got Oliver to his feet. The boys carried or hauled the vigilantes out and Clark knew he would follow once again. Cass trailed behind with Conner and Tim whilst Bruce walked merrily alongside him.

"I've been getting close to you this past week. Why now?" He asked yearning for some semblance of sense.

"You went home," Bruce said "Who knows how many people would have been told about the connection between me and the Bat by the end of your long article," He smirked as Clark grasped the meaning of his words "Please Clark we've been playing this game for years. I know everything there is to know about you and you should know the same," he admonished "You wouldn't guess how surprised I was when you actually went to bed with me. I had hoped that you were just playing the game better than I was. But there you were," He shook his head in wonder "totally oblivious to who I was. It was definitely a turn on," He drawled and smirked at the gagging noise Tim made behind him. "Now Timmy you'll understand when you're older that these things aren't as disgusting as you think."

Clark thought back to that night. Bruce had been reaching for something. Had there been Kryptonite in Bruce's drawer? It would explain why he was so adamant to get it. Then there was the mystery of Tim "So how do you two know each other," he muttered pointing back at Tim who pushed him with the green rock hard.

Bruce didn't help him up but he did stop until he was on his feet before he began walking again. They had just entered the beginnings of what was once Gotham's streets. "Tim and I go way back," Bruce started. Jason turned around to smirk at them.

"Don't we all. You see Clarky," Jason started and carried his voice as he walked "We didn't really have all that good a childhood. My mother was a drug user, Cass's was an assassin and Dickys. Well, let's just say that Owls aren't his favourite bird. We were all miserable in our lives until Bruce came and set us free. He saw what they were doing and helped us get rid of them," He thought back to the sick displays in Metropolis "Just like that guy did to Bruce's parents all those years ago. And then he did one better. He took us in. We're a family because of him."

"You're murderers," Clark insisted.

"Timmy's our newest little brother. It became official earlier with the death of his parents," Jason finished.

"Best decision I ever made," He heard Tim say.

"But why? Why would you stay with a murderer?" He pleaded.

Tim just looked at him like he couldn't understand what Clark was saying "He's not a murderer. He's a liberator. All those parents he kills, he chooses them carefully. He always talks to us before he does it. Asks us what's wrong with our lives and if we want to change them. Not everyone does and those that do often end up wishing they didn't. But not us," Tim insisted looking dotingly at Bruce.

They had stopped in an alley and Clark had been walked so he was half way in. Conner was shoved on top of him and the Kryptonite stowed in a place near enough to effect both of them. Barry was on the floor next to him and Oliver facing them. A gun made its way onto the floor in front of Oliver and as Clark watched Cass jabbed a needle into his neck.

He dropped to the floor when she was finished and after a minute she untied his hands and feet. Undoing the gag Cass slipped back into the shadows with Tim, Jason and Dick following. Bruce stayed and kicked the gun closer to Oliver before making sure that Barry was propped up on his broken knees.

"The game's simple. Oliver's going to shoot you and you're going to die," Bruce explained calmly before yanking Clark's head back and kissing his cheek tenderly.

He too melted into the shadows but Clark had a feeling that he wasn't gone, simply watching like the Bat always did. Clark heaved Conner off him and reached across to Barry. He removed the gag before straightening him up on Clark's weakened chest. There was no way he could re-break Barry's legs in his current state.

"Connor, I need you to kick the kryptonite away," He told him. The boy looked pained but knew this was their best hope. He heard Conner's pants turn to gasps as his remaining strength left him the further to the meteor he got. "It's going to be fine Barry. We're going to get out of this and then we're going to wring Bruce's neck," he growled.

He heard a louder groan than the one Barry had just made coming from Oliver ahead. He was hunched over and spitting madly onto the ground. His head was darting every way possible, looking for an enemy that wasn't there. He wondered what he had been injected with when a shot rang out and he fell back with Barry.


	7. Chapter 7

It was dark and Clark was sure he was dead. But then why was there still shots sounding? His senses returned to him from the shock of what happened. Barry was a heavy weight on top of him and as Clark pushed him to the side he felt a bullet narrowly miss his head. Panting he tried to get a hold of himself. His limbs felt lighter than they had so Conner must be moving the Kryptonite. He checked over Oliver wondering why the man would want to shoot them. It became clear all too soon.

Oliver didn't appear to be seeing anything and was shooting blindly at something only he could see. Tears were streaming down his horror struck face and he screamed at someone that wasn't there. Clark prayed that Oliver didn't see anything over their direction for a minute as he checked the wound Oliver had made. The bullet would have killed him had Oliver been in his right mind. As it was they were lucky his aim was off. The bullet seemed to have made impact in Barry's stomach. The speedster was cringing in pain as his body tried to heal around it, yet another wound Clark couldn't fix right now.

Another bullet streamed past his face so Clark grabbed Barry and tried to move them somewhere his powers might come back quicker. It was tough work moving a full grown man in a minefield of bullets since every time he moved Barry the man cried out in pain and drew Olivers attention to them.

He had almost reached the end of the alley when Bruce crossed his mind. What if they were stationed outside watching them? Could he chance an encounter with Bruce? Oliver solved that problem by grazing his shoulder. Clark heaved Barry out and as far away as he could.

A gun was pressed against his head and Clark only had time to feel a little satisfaction as his strength came back when he glared up. It wasn't Bruce.

"Hand him over, mate," Captain Boomerang growled.

"Not on your life," Clark replied hauling Barry into his arms. The speedster cried out in pain as Clark assessed their opposition. It seemed that all of Flash's villains were surrounding them. Grubby and beaten up though they were they still made an opposing force.

"We don't want to hurt you Supes," Cold soothed "Just hand him over and we'll let you go."

Oliver was still shooting in the alley and his flight hadn't returned. He couldn't just count on his strength if he didn't have his other powers to reassure his and Barry's safety. The situation looked hopeless.

"Do it," Clark looked down into Barry's face, it was heartbreaking what he saw there. He shook his head as Barry went on "They won't put me down like this. Just give me to them. They'll want a fair game," he looked over to his rogues. All of them were wearing expressions of defeat rather than the triumph he would have expected.

"We promise," Cold said. As the leader of the rogues gallery what he said went. Clark knew that Cold at least would keep his word.

"As soon as I get my powers..." he promised Barry as he handed the speedster over. Barry just grinned and cracked a joke at Cold

They walked off leaving Clark alone on the war torn streets. He had no choice but to sort out Oliver first now and listened for the last of the bullets to be fired. He could feel, little by little, his powers returning. Soon he would be able to fly them out of this hell hole and back to safety. But that didn't mean he was abandoning Bruce. No, he was coming back for him.

He heard the gun stutter and made his move into the alley. Conner was panting behind a trash can and ran over to Clark when he appeared at the entrance to the alley.

"Get back and check on the farm. I don't trust them not to have set something up," It wasn't until he said it that he realised how true his words were. Conner had came to Gotham by force, who knew what had happened to his parents.

Conner nodded and ran off quickly down the streets. Oliver had given up on the gun now and was cowering in a ball along one of the walls. Clark hesitantly approached.

"Oliver can you hear me?" No response. Whatever Bruce gave him must have overrode his senses. When he got the rest of his hearing back he could hear how fast Olivers heart was beating. It sped up the longer he was awake but Clark didn't dare knock him out.

There was nothing for it when he felt his body come to an adequate strength. He took one look around to make sure that Bruce or the kids weren't there before approaching Oliver. The man shrank in on himself at Clark's approach and started lashing out wildly as he grasped Olivers arms and pulled him up.

Panting and sweating Oliver was a mess. There were cuts situating from his face to his neck, all of them looked like they hurt and they were the ones he could see. Who knew how many more he had under his clothes.

Clark took off at once and flew them to Star City. He made sure that Oliver's cover was safe and told the doctors that he had been involved in a car accident. According to them it wasn't the first time this had happened.

Dinah was less forgiving than the doctors about what had happened. Once Clark had picked himself up from the floor and his shattered eardrums had mended he repeated his story to her. She rushed to the hospital telling him to fly alongside whilst she ranted at him. Clark only stayed long enough to hear her tell Conner, Roy and Mia about Oliver before heading back to Gotham.

He circled around three times before concluding that Barry must have gotten away. The alternative refused to cross his mind. He looked instead for Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang to see how they were holding up.

The men were sitting in the Fun House that had once belonged to the coast of Gotham City. Mirror Master was talking to them through his mirrors and telling them about the outside world.

"Where's Flash," Clark demanded. They barely flinched and didn't turn around.

"Back home," Mirror Master told him. "We sent him back as soon as we got his legs straightened."

Clark paused digesting this new information "You let him go?"

Cold turned around "He's the only one who can get us stuff from the outside. You think we're stupid enough to kill my only connection to my sister," He glared.

Clark apologised before realising that these were criminals. He turned away listening and smelling for any trace of Bruce or the Bat. He would have thought it easier now to track them down now that he had their identities. But it didn't.

Barry was curled up with Iris when he checked in and grinned at his Rogues hospitality. "I'm thinking of getting them Christmas Presents. Act like some kind of Santa Clause to them."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Clark warned.

Barry sighed frowning in despair "What else am I supposed to do Clark. My powers are useless around Central now. I go out once maybe twice a day to stop bullies picking on children. Bullies Clark! If I help them then my powers have a meaning again. They didn't ask to be put in there and despite what everyone thinks they need help just as much as we do."

"And Bruce?"

Barry glared "He can go to hell for all I care. Be careful Clark," Was his goodbye before he went back to his peaceful life.

Clark didn't catch Bruce in the next couple of months despite his high alert. He listened constantly to any voice that even closely resembled Bruce's or his kids. Usually they ended up being a dead end but it didn't deter Clark.

Kara and Conner were also helping him with his search. Conner had a vengeance sworn against Bruce but particularly Tim. The boy he found out had tricked Conner into going to the manor. He had said he needed something from home and who was Conner to deny the plea of a traumatised boy. They had flew over and when Tim had told him to land in the ruins of his old house he had pulled out the Kryptonite and dragged him underground to the manor.

That was another thing they searched. Ever since discovering their mode of transport, Clark had the league under every sewer in Gotham. He had hoped to find out how they got out but there was no luck on the underground tunnels for that. What there was hope for was how they sneaked around Gotham undetected. Clark had found eight massive hidden caves all around the city with gadgets and cars that Bruce must have made himself. All of them were just as deadly as the weapons that were framed there and Clark usually left Oliver to test out what each of them did.

Flash had the rogues look out for anyone dressed like a bat on their excursions in exchange for news from home and luxuries that they were denied unless they wanted to barter from Penguin. So far there was nothing. Bruce hadn't returned to his nest and neither had his kids. They had left everything behind for Clark and the League to find.

Oliver suggested that they didn't need to take anything with them "Wayne Tech might have gone down here with the earthquake but out there," He pointed over the bridge "He has corporations around the world that brings money in."

They had decided to monitor his bank transactions and Oliver even made a few calls so they got all of his private accounts monitored as well. Yet still he eluded them. For a while there were a couple of minor withdrawals which had turned out to be the stockholders stealing from Wayne's accounts. There was one particularly big withdrawal in which they had thought they had him but again it was just another investment and stockholder stealing from the money that should have been kept with the company.

"What if we just tell the public," Diana paced "They need to be on alert anyway. With the indulgence of the Bat's identity we can show them that we have made progress on the case."

"Not yet," Clark didn't know why but he wanted to keep Bruce's real identity a secret for a while longer. Kara had told him he was in denial. In a way she was right. He couldn't accept that someone he had let that close to him had been setting him up from the start. All those times Clark could have taken the Bat down if only he hadn't been distracted by Bruce.

"Kal," Diana sighed sitting next to him "The people need hope."

"The people will be lied to," Clark said "If we tell them Bruce is the Bat they'll think we're making progress sure but think Diana in a couple of months what have we achieved? Nothing! Telling them about Bruce won't make them safer."

"You don't know that."

Clark ran his fingers through his hair in frustration "Not just yet, please."

Diana agreed for now. The patrols were doubled after that. Everyone was to look in every corner of their city for Bruce. They ended up making a list of all the boys that had matched the description Bruce liked and monitoring them.

"I just don't understand why he takes some of them in and kills others. If what Tim says is true then why doesn't he have a whole army of little kids?" Barry mentioned whilst they were on monitor duty.

"I think," Clark started checking on a peace treaty "That what Tim said was his idea of what happened," he had been pondering the same things as Barry and had eventually come to this conclusion "I don't know why Bruce kills some and keeps some alive, maybe what Tim says is true and they're the ones that genuinely embrace the freedom Bruce is giving them. Maybe he takes in the ones that actually want to come live with him. I mean think about it, those boys in the orphanage seemed terrified when we asked about the Bat to them. Maybe they backed out at the last minute."

"You don't believe that," Barry mentioned casually. He was surveying Clark from his seat with his brows furrowed "That's just what you think I want to hear. Why do you think those three boys were killed? Why were only those three boys and Cass taken in?"

Clark sat back and wondered if he should divulge what he really thought. In the end he did. "I think those three boys were killed as clues for us. You heard what Bruce was saying. He was disappointed that I hadn't figured him out. So I think he sent his kids out to make a point and try and get me to join the dots." He sighed and thought back forlornly "Looking back it's all so clear. Why was I so blind?" He scrubbed his face "As for why the boys and Cass were taken in I don't know." But Clark had an idea.

Bruce was all for someone to prove themselves to him. He would have bet anything that Dick was the one to persuade Bruce to help him murder his parents and the same went with the others afterwards. It also helped that once Bruce had Dick, the boy picking out his siblings, would be bound to use his charm to persuade them into taking on the family buisness. Jason probably stuck those needles in his mother himself. As for Cass' parents he didn't want to think what a child of the League would do.

Bruce was still at Large five months later. No sign of him had been found anywhere in the world. Clark was about to give up. But usually things that are given up on have a funny way of entering people's lives again.

He had just finished his article at the Daily Planet about a boy winning the National Science Fair when he heard a piercing scream fill the air. He was in flight in seconds and arrived at the crime scene with horrified excitement.

A boy was on the ground with his parents strewn around him. It was one of those they had monitored back at Watchtower and Clark knew he was going to pour over those tapes later looking for Bruce.

He watched from afar as the police came and took the boy into the back. He was going to follow them when he saw someone familiar in the crowd. Staring straight at him was Bruce. His piercing blue eyes challenging Clark juxtaposed by his playful smile that softened his features.

Clark dived just as Bruce walked away and had the man halfway to the Metropolis station in seconds.

"It'll do you no good," Bruce teased.

"It'll put you where you can't harm anyone," Clark growled. Bruce burst out laughing.

He stopped in mid air to glare at that stupid handsome face "Where I can't hurt anyone?" He chortled "Clark I broke out of Gotham. Where is there that you believe can hold me?"

His bones froze as he realized Bruce was right. Gotham was meant to be one of the most secure and unbreakable places in the world and yet Bruce had been coming and going for years. His playful smile was back on his face.

Clark turned and began flying in the other direction towards the Arctic. The Kryptonian walls were sure to be strong enough to hold Bruce.

"Are we going to your ice palace?" Bruce asked excitedly. "I love it there. Your dog seems to have taken a liking to Dick though. I tell you it was so hard to persuade him that we couldn't get one," He froze again as Bruce destroyed another safe haven for Clark. "Aw!" Bruce cooed stroking the side of Clark's face "have you finally given up?"

"Why are you doing this?" Slipped out of Clark's mouth. He barely recognised the scared tone his voice had taken.

"Why?" Bruce pondered "Because I can. Also because you need me. Sure you have Lexy as your arch nemesis but think about it. What challenge does he pose to you? You can detain him with a few well armed men. Me on the other hand..."

"So you're doing this for me?" He felt a hysterical bubble of laughter rise up but forced it down to hear Bruce speak.

"I'm doing it for us. Your powers are everything I've ever dreamed of. They pose the perfect challenge. What do I have to do to evade superhearing? Superstrength? Speed? Invulnerability? You're magnificent," He praised. "And you need me whether you like it or not. I'm here to show you that you can't beat crime. That thing you've made in Gotham isn't working. Crime never dies! The sooner you learn that the sooner you'll live a happy life. I have and look at how happy I am." He grinned manically. "Face it Clark we need each other."

Clark felt himself floating down with every word Bruce spoke until they were on the ground facing each other. He didn't know why he let Bruce go but one minute they were standing there and the next Bruce was gone and Clark was alone.

The League told him off later and Clark knew he deserved every harsh word they flung his way. There was nothing they could do though. Bruce was right, even if they did catch him where was he to go? The easiest thing to do would be to kill him. They weren't killers though. Then there was the matter of his kids. They would all still be at large and who knew how many he had. Diana had theorised that Clark had only seen Bruce's inner gang. The rest of them were probably spread across the world.

Nevertheless one thing was agreed on at the end of Clark's reprimand. They were sending out Bruce's identity. His and his children.

Mass panic had gone through the streets now people could put a face to the murderer. Perry was livid that they didn't get the scoop since Clark had been with Wayne that week. Then he seemed to realise what he was saying and called Clark into his office. There was a lot of patting on the back and comforting words. Perry seemed to think Clark was traumatised about his experience that week which was why he hadn't said anything.

Lois urged him to write a story about the maniac he had spent a week with which was followed up by an urgent interview staged by Cat to get him to talk to her instead. He told them he would think about it as he went home that night.

The next week was something of a nightmare. Bruce had set up a game of cat and mouse between them and was definitely winning. Clark would be doing the most ordinary thing such as his laundry in the buildings laundrette when he would see Bruce walking by. When Clark went to get him he would be gone.

The same happened every time he saw Jason at his take out. Dick at his work. Cass whilst he was patrolling and even once he had seen Tim strolling around his farm back at Smallville.

By the end of the week he could only think of one thing to do. He sat at his table and wrote. Perry loved his article and printed it as the first page in the Planet the next day. He had some reservations about the last line he had printed but Lois persuaded him to keep it despite the lawsuits it was bound to bring up. They were a truth abiding paper after all.

Walking into his apartment that night he wasn't disappointed to see Bruce lounging on his sofa. The man was smiling kindly at him and even took his coat and briefcase.

"I liked your article," He commented coming to sit next to Clark's defeated position on the couch "Dick got a good kick out of the last line. Said there would be an uprising tomorrow," Bruce chuckled.

"It's good to know I amuse you," He mumbled.

Bruce stayed there for a while and talked about the little things he had been doing. He mentioned that he had been cornered by the League on more than one occasion but ended up escaping. Clark wasn't really listening to him. His life as a superhero was finished.

Bruce had won and he knew it. That was the only reason he was still around. For the rest of Clark's career Bruce would be there. They wouldn't end up catching him since he had and always will be twelve steps ahead of them. Clark could only hope that Bruce would relax on his murders now that he knew Clark was defeated. He knew he wouldn't though.

He looked into those steel blue eyes noticing that Bruce was still talking about something. Doing the only thing he could think of Clark kissed him. If they were going to be playing this game for the rest of his career he should get something out of it.

"Really? You know I have Kryptonite with me," Bruce mumbled running his hands through Clark's hair. He just bit Bruce's bottom lip instead of talking. "Alright then," Bruce shrugged and climbed into Clark's lap.

Later when Bruce had gone Clark stared at the table where a bat mask had lain not long ago. It was the one Bruce favoured when he was teasing Clark in the streets at night. It was also where the smell that had plagued him from the beginning had came from. A mixture of leather and a lead substance that kept his identity hidden. It was clever, was all Clark thought as he looked at the paper Bruce had let and the words he had written standing out at the bottom[

'The government has failed. No one is safe.'


End file.
